


Miraculous Murder

by Iam_aCircle_0



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M, Murder, Teen Angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-27
Updated: 2020-06-28
Packaged: 2021-02-26 04:13:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 24
Words: 74,266
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21587407
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Iam_aCircle_0/pseuds/Iam_aCircle_0
Summary: What does Ladybug do when freeing a man from the power of Hawkmoth, does nothing in terms of protecting the city from him?Paris is facing a mass-murder problem, curtesy of one, non-akumatised man. How will our heroes - Ladybug and Chat Noir - defeat said hero with no akuma to purify, and no Hawkmoth to out smart? Find out in this long, emotional, angsty fan-fic
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Comments: 16
Kudos: 37





	1. Hope

**Author's Note:**

> So this is going to be a long story, but bare with me.  
> I tried something different with this work - it’s a bit more serious  
> I’ll try and post the next chapter fornightly or weekly  
> ENJOY!!

“Another person murdered today on the streets of Paris. The girl was walking down Boulevard Saint-Germain when a man grabbed her, tied her up in an alley, and stabbed her several times. The Mayor is advising young girls to stay inside or travel in large groups when walking down the street, as they are the unknown murderer’s common target. In other news-“ Marinette turned her computer off. 

“This just isn't right Tikki! He must be working for Hawkmoth, why else would he be killing so many innocent people?” 

“But you got rid of the akuma Marinette, you did what you could.” Tikki encouraged.  
“I still think that this man is Ladybug’s problem. No one else should have to deal with him. I was the one who let him go without checking if he was ok.” Marinette slumped down in her chair. 

Tikki flew over and cuddled against her cheek. 

“You did what you could! This isn't your fault.” She tried again to get rid of her owner’s guilty conscience. But Marinette couldn't help but feel the burden to catch the new super villain herself. 

“You should get some rest, don't you have school tomorrow?” Tikki advised. 

Marinette sighed, glancing over at her clock. “It's only 6:30, I can still think of plans to avenge this cold-blood murderer.” Marinette gave a fake laugh to make her statement seem less... evil. But she was truely petrified of what would happen if the man wasn't stopped. 

“Ok, but don't forget, Alya wanted to have breakfast with you tomorrow.” Tikki quickly flew off, expecting Marinette to freak out because of her forgotten commitment, but instead, Marinette was surprisingly joyful when her kwami mentioned her friend's name. 

“That's it! Tikki, you're a genius!” Marinette cried out, spinning around the room on her chair. 

“W-what?” Tikki started blankly at the girl's strange reaction. 

“Rena Rouge, oh and Carapace, and I guess Chloe can help, but no more, it'll be too dangerous for inexperienced heroes. And so if I tell Chat tomorrow night on patrol, he can give Queen Bee her’s and, yes! Alya said she'd be with Nino tomorrow night to work on that Chemistry assignment- oh no! I haven't even started that-” 

“Marinette calm down! You need to breathe.” Tikki grabbed Marinette's face to stop her from talking.

“Sorry Tikki, I just had the most brilliant idea! Do you think Master Fu will let me borrow some Miraculouses again?” 

———

Marinette knocked on the old wooden door into Master Fu’s ‘office’. Master Fu quickly opened the door as he, too, knew of the urgent matter that needed discussing. 

“I hope you can think of a plan Ladybug. Sometimes the most dangerous people are the ones we walk past on the streets everyday.” Master Fu ushered her in and shut the door. 

“I think this is too big a job for Chat Noir and I Master. I need my team.” Marinette knelt down on the mat on the floor as Tikki flew out from her purse, excited to see other kwamis. 

“Good idea Marinette. More brains means more ideas.” Master Fu smiled as he poured a small cup of tea for himself and his hero guest. 

“Thank you Master.” Marinette graciously took the tea. Tea always made her feel calmer, Master Fu probably knew that she needed it. 

“Now there’s one more thing we need to discuss.” The Master leaned forward to ensure what he was about to say was extremely important.  
Marinette unconsciously leaned in to.  
“This murderer, he has not been akumatised when killing the innocent girls, you’re aware of that correct?” 

“Yes, and I’m sure Chat knows. That’s why we need to stop him as quick as we can, my Miraculous Ladybug isn’t going to undo his damage.” 

“Exactly. This is a very dangerous mission Ladybug, whatever is done can not be undone, anything destroyed will remain destroyed.” 

Marinette nodded. 

“You may still use your Lucky Charm, but I would advise Chat Noir not use his cataclysm, the results could be devastating.” Master Fu informed as he stood up and wandered over to his old record player. 

Marinette thought then what exactly caused her Miraculous Ladybug to work. She knew it involved her Lucky Charm, but it must’ve also had something to do with purifying the akumas. 

Pulling out the Miraculous box and laying it out before Marinette, Master Fu ordered, “Go gather your fellow heroes, have a meeting and make a plan. Paris is counting on you all.”

Marinette chose the Bee, Fox, and Turtle miraculous. She planned to give them to Chloe, Alya, and Nino respectively. She could trust them. And she knew they all desperately wanted to put a stop to the new super criminal of Paris. 

“Thank you Master! We’ll try our best.” Marinette chirped as she shut the door. 

The clock by Marinette's bed read 9:30 by the time Marinette finally got home. She placed the three Miraculouses on her desk where Tikki offered to guard them during the night, and with that, Marinette was a sleep by 10. 

———

The alarm by Marinette's bed was going crazy. One minute had past and Marinette could still not be woken from her coma of a sleep. It was time for Tikki to intervene. 

“Marinette! Quickly Adrien's here!” Tikki screamed as loud as she could, which wasn't very loud because she was small. But Tikki obviously knew this, that is why she screamed directly at Marinette's eardrum. 

“Huh, what who? Wait, what.” Marinette's eyes shot open and she sat up straight in her bed unconsciously. 

“Never mind.” Tikki smiled as she hit the alarm off. 

Marinette stared at her wall. She was still half asleep and her brain was not fully functioning yet. 

“Quickly Marinette, you're late!” Tikki cried out from Marinette's desk, a small giggle in her voice. 

Late. Late for what? Oh Alya, but why Alya. Breakfast. Breakfast with Alya, where? The bakery. My bakery! Alya, breakfast, bakery. Right. And I'm late. LATE! 

Marinette stumbled down the stairs, her hair half done and pyjama shirt matched with her usual-day pants. She changed her shirt in the kitchen and tied up the other half of her hair in her signature piggy-tails as the door to her family's apartment shut behind her.  
As she ran down the several flights of stairs, she made a mental note to set an alarm according to the day's activities. 

“There you are girl, I've been waiting for 20 minutes.” Alya hugged her unpunctual best friend with a caring grin. 

“S-sorry.” Marinette puffed. And for the first time that morning, took in what she was wearing and where she was. 

School bag- check  
Homework in school bag- check  
Actual shoes- check  
Shirt, pants- check, check  
Hair- che-ah well, it can be re-done later

“No worries girl, we have just enough time to grab something to walk to school with.” 

“Croissants?” Marinette suggested as she walked back to the counter which she had flown past only a few moments before. 

“Perfect! And get some for the boys. Adrien will appreciate the gesture.” Alya winked. 

Marinette blushed, but she couldn't give a come back because she had reached the front of the line. 

“A bag of croissants please Maman.” Marinette asked cheerfully. 

“Ooo, not just two? I’ll throw in two for Adrien.” Sabine smiled lovingly as she handed the bag over the counter to her daughter. 

“Thanks Maman! I'll work for them this afternoon.” Marinette waved goodbye before her mum could refuse her daughters’ payment. 

“Thanks Mrs Cheng!” Alya waved off behind Marinette. 

“Be careful girls! Stick together.” Sabine cried out after a short memory of the morning news jolted her motherly habits. 

“Yes Maman of course!” 

“Mmmm, they smell so good!” Alya reached for the bag as soon as the two were out side. 

“Not yet!” Marinette laughed. “School is literally across the road, can't you wait?” 

“If they were any normal croissants, yes, but your parents bakery makes the best croissants in Paris, how could I ever wait for that!” Alya exclaimed dramatically. 

Marinette just rolled her eyes as she took out the two loose piggy-tails that she had done up in her mad rush earlier.  
“Look, we’re here!” Marinette said as her fingers brushed through her blue-black strands of hair. 

The two girls raced up the front steps of the school and to their class room. Marinette won, even with her bag of croissants, a bag full of all her text books, and her hair flying around her face. Alya didn't seem phased by the loss, but Marinette told herself to maybe slow down next time, and maybe not beat her friend by 100 metres or so. 

“Marinette brought croissants boys, make room in your stomachs!” Alya cried as she walked into the class room. 

“My stomach never hasn't got room.” Adrien remarked as he fixated his eyes on the brown paper bag Marinette was holding. He watched as the delicious buttery croissants made their buttery mark on the paper bag they were contain in. So much butter. Adrien’s mouth watered. 

“That's cause you are a literal stick! Your father probably feeds you one meal a day.” Nino commented in a joking manner. 

“I get two on weekends.” Adrien did not realise his friend was joking. Everyone stared at him in horror. 

“Dude.” Nino placed his hand on Adrien's shoulder solemnly. 

“Here Adrien, have the whole bag, honestly, we've all eaten.” Marinette slid the bag in front of him. 

Adrien just stared at it. Embarrassed but also touched that his friends cared so much about him. Even if he was used to the one or two meals a day thing and thought it was normal, he was genuinely glad to have friends who practically force fed him. 

“Are you sure, I really don't think I can eat them-“

“Agreste you sit down and you eat every last croissant in that bag.” Alya demanded. 

Adrien sat. He looked down at the bag then up, his eyes landing on Marinette. She had her hair down.  
The sun was shining through the window and reflecting a vibrant blue off her hair.  
Her smile was warm and kind.  
Her eyes, as vibrant as her hair. Like clear pools of water.  
Her-

“Adrien?” Marinette caught him staring at her. 

“Uh oh, ah, t-thank you.” He managed to say back. 

She smiled sweetly. His cheeks turn the same colour as her pants. She giggled. His heart stopped.  
Ladybug! What is wrong with me?  
Adrien snapped out of his crushing on Marinette, feeling as though he had just cheated on Ladybug.

———

Each day, with every new murderer attack, the class’s discussion grew more and more towards the topic. Marinette listened carefully, hearing her class’s distress. She wanted so bad to say something just to cheer them up, if only for a little while. Nearly every second she would look up and see someone crying as the people around them discussed the new villain. Her heart wrenched every time, pulling her to stand up and give the class hope.  
No one could concentrate in any class and nearly everyone was falling behind. The school had even hired an actual phycologist councillor person to talk to kids and help them. They were even thinking of redoing the tests done in the past week as soon as Paris was rid of the murderer. 

During lunch, the whole class sat in silence as they ate. They all feared their lives with this mass murderer running about on the streets.  
They were glad he only attacked at night, but still, he could attack any one of them on their way home that day.  
Marinette couldn’t take it anymore, the frightened, depressed, and angry look in her class’s eyes had gone on long enough. And so, as class representative, she decided to cheer them up a bit. 

“Listen guys, I know it's a scary time right now with this whole murderer thing, but we can't let that take away from our good times together! Even if he is out there, we can't let our fear of him take hold of our lives. He might never be captured and put in prison, but that doesn't mean that we will never go out on the streets at night again. We have to stay strong! We have to be brave! It's what Ladybug would want.”

“Marinette's right! I'm sure Ladybug has a plan, she's going to save us all!” Alya cheered, glad she could support her friend.  
“Ladybug! Ladybug! Ladybug!….”  
The whole class began to chant. All but Marinette who had slowly gotten down from her chair and slumped over her food tray. Her cheery mood completely demolished by self doubt.  
It's up to me. Everyone's relying on me. Why did I get their hopes up? What if I fail and we’re all stuck living in fear! Everyone's going to be even more disappointed. And it's all my fault! What have I done. Why did-

“Marinette? Are you ok?” Adrien interrupted her self-doubting thoughts. Tikki would thank him for that later. 

“Oh ah yeah, I’m mine. Fine! I mean fine!” Marinette bursted out. 

“Are you sure? You look pretty pale.” Adrien noticed, beginning to stand up, ready to catch her should she fall. 

“Y-yeah, I'm just still a little shook from that murder yesterday I guess.” Marinette tried to say perking up. Tried. 

“But your speech just now was so heartfelt! It really encouraged everyone. I wouldn't of thought you were worried.” 

“I'm not, it's just that, what if I got everyone's hopes up? What if Ladybug can't stop the man?” 

“I'm sure Ladybug will be able to stop the criminal, with Chat Noir of course.”

“Chat Noir does do most of the work anyway.” Marinette smiled sweetly. 

Adrien couldn't hold back a blush. She just complimented him. No one ever really noticed Chat Noir.  
Had she always been so cute when she smiled? Ladybug! Remember Ladybug. 

“I'm glad you found your trust in the heroes of Paris again!” Adrien commended as he stood up and left the table, patting Marinette's shoulder as he did. 

Marinette just smiled nervously. But thoughts of failure were still in the back of her mind. At least for now, she could pretend to trust in the heroes of Paris in order to give the class hope. Even if that hope did put more pressure on her. 

———

That afternoon, Marinette changed her plans. Instead of handing the Miraculouses out tonight with Chat, she would slip each into their usual owner’s bag with a note attached (printed from the computer so handwriting couldn't be traced to her). But she had to be careful and make sure the owner actually got it, and still be left undetected. If all else failed, she could still approach Nino and Alya at his house, and Chloe at hers, her new plan was just quicker.  
The note red:  
Dear ______,  
You may have noticed the new super villain in our streets. He has killed several people and has injured several dozens. We need to put a stop to it! So I have hired a room at 121 Av. des Champs-Élysées at 8:30pm - 10pm for us to have a meeting. Be transformed and bring good ideas!  
-thank you, Ladybug

Marinette planed to tell Chat Noir as soon as she saw him on their patrol. They would then show up together. 

But things didn't quite turn out to Marinette's plan. Tikki didn't say, but she was glad everything happened the way they did. She thought Marinette's plan was a bit risky. Faster yes, but too risky. For one, the Miraculous could fall out of the holder’s bags, potentially ending up in Hawkmoth’s hands. 

Alya and Nino left before Marinette had even begun packing her bag. She hadn't got the chance to deliver the Fox and Turtle Miraculous yet, and she still had to work. Work could wait. What was important was saving Paris.  
Marinette transformed behind the school and followed Nino and Alya for a while via rooftops

Ladybug dropped down in front of the couple a few moments later. 

“I need your help, come with me.” Ladybug ordered. Alya and Nino followed her to a small ally off the street. 

“Rena Rouge, Carapace, we need to put an end to the mass murderer!” Ladybug held out the Miraculouses. 

Alya and Nino gave a determined smile as they took the magical boxes eagerly. 

“Marinette wasn't kidding when she said Ladybug probably has a plan.” Alya whispered to Nino. Nevertheless, Ladybug heard. 

“Everything you need to know is on the note inside. Hand me back your Miraculouses tonight.” Ladybug cried out as she swung away, her secret identity too close to being found out. 

Next was Chloe, she was a bit easier since the whole of Paris knew that she was Queen Bee. 

Ladybug landed on the top of Chloe's father's hotel, and sure enough, Chloe, who was just arriving home, saw her.  
Ladybug waved for her to come up. Chloe obliged eagerly. Marinette just rolled her eyes. 

“Ladybug! At last, my Miraculous.” Chloe held out her hand pompously 

“Not so fast Chloe, you need to promise that you’ll hand it back after tonight.”

“Yes yes of course, now give it!” 

Ladybug casually threw the box at her as she swung her yoyo and secured it on a building. 

“Everything you need to know is on the note inside. Be sure not to use the Miraculous for anything else!” Ladybug ordered as she swung off. Marinette hoped that Chloe would be careful. Giving her a Miraculous before it was needed was risky, but she trusted Chloe, to an extent.


	2. The Heroes’ Meeting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The heroes of Paris have a meeting to devise a plan. “Ladybug had never felt so hated and yet so loved.”

Ladybug and Chat Noir bounded over the buildings of Paris, the wind in their hair and a cool summer shower, or rather, a quick sprinkle of rain gently covering their backs. They were headed to the meeting of superheroes. Ladybug had thought of a plan to get all the superheroes she could trust to come up with a plan to stop a crazy murderer. 

Adrien was glad Ladybug had come up with a plan, even if that plan was just them having a meeting, it was still a plan to stop the deadly man. He just really wanted to stop the criminal. He hated seeing his friends scared. He was a superhero so he figured he had a little more chance of surviving and putting up a fight if ever he saw this man. That's why he thought he might not have been as scared as the others. But he would've rather him be the only one frightened for his life and have everyone else at peace. He knew that wasn't possible though, so Ladybug’s plan to get all the heroes together was enough to cheer him up a little and give him hope. 

Marinette needed this to work. She hoped that all her friends and Chloe could come up with a plan that would put an end to the murderer. She gave her class hope, and now she felt extremely guilty for doing so. Thoughts of failure and doubt kept creeping back into her mind.  
What if they didn't come up with a plan? What if the plan doesn't work? What if someone gets hurt? What if Alya and Nino get hurt, then that's my fault. What if everyone gets too scared to leave their house because they can't trust Ladybug to save them, then that's my fault. What if Chat gets hurt, or worse? Then it's my fault. If anything goes wrong, it's my fault! This whole murderer guy was my fault! It's all my fault! It's-

“Ladybug look out!” Chat Noir’s urgent cry snapped Ladybug out of her deteriorating train of thought. But not fast enough for her to realise that she was head straight for the side of a building. 

Chat noticed her absent mind and quickly swung down and saved her, brushing the wall of the building as they extended upwards and onto the roof of said building. 

“Are you ok? You seem a bit, off.” Chat placed her down against a small rise of concrete in the centre of the roof. 

“Yeah, y-yeah, I'm all good, let's go.” Ladybug said in an unsure tone as she rubbed her head and began to stand up. 

But Chat put his hand on her shoulder. “I think we should wait here a while. Something's bothering you and I want to know what it is.” His voice was smooth and calming. It made her feel a little better. But talking about it wasn't really something that she thought would help. 

“It's nothing really, I was just thinking about the meeting I called. It's silly, it really doesn't matter.” Ladybug offered as her answered shyly. 

“Do you want to tell me again what's bothering you with a little more truth this time?” Chat smirked. How did he do that? How did he always know her lies and end up yanking the truth out of her?

Ladybug was silent for a while. Chat gave her some space and sat down next to her. 

“It's all my fault.” Ladybug whispered, her head hung shamefully so Chat wouldn't hear. 

Chat heard regardless. “What? No! It's not your fault, nothing's your fault, why would you think that?”

“This, all this is my fault. Everything that happens is my fault.” Ladybug said through gritted teeth. She desperately tried to hold back her tears. But as soon as Chat lifted her chin and wrapped his arms around her, she couldn't help but burst out crying. He was the best thing in the world. 

“Whatever happens, we go through it together. It's just as much my fault as yours.” Chat spoke so calmly in her ear. His warm embrace being just the comfort she needed. Even if he didn't quite know what she thought was her fault. It didn't matter, he hated seeing her like this.

“Thanks Kitty.” 

“Anything for my Lady.” But Chat could still see doubt clouding her mind. He didn't bring it up though, they needed to get to the meeting she called. 

———

“We need to get this guy behind bars!” Chat Noir demanded, his fist pounding on the the table he, Ladybug, Rena Rouge, Queen Bee, and Carapace were gathered around. 

“I know, but we can't do anything rash, he may not be akumatised like all the other villains we fight, but he's still a person.” Ladybug gently touched Chat’s scrunched fist as an act to calm him down. He was greatly moved by this act. 

“So what do we do?” Queen Bee asked the group. 

“We need to catch this criminal, as soon as possible.” Rena Rouge more or less ordered.

“Rena’s right. Seven murders and twenty injured in only two weeks, this guy needs to be stopped as soon as possible.” Carapace supported her statement. 

“But we can't just go out looking for him. That would be a waste of time and civilians could get hurt. We need a plan that isolates him and keeps everyone at a safe distance.” Ladybug quickly added before the team got too crazy in just casing after the maniac through the streets of Paris. 

“So we need to lure him out to where we want him?” Chat thought aloud. 

“Exactly.”

“And then if we close off the streets near the spot we choose, and get lookouts around there to keep track of his location, we could actually pull this off.” Rena spoke up with an upbeat tone. 

“Great idea, and each of us will need to be ready to strike at any time.” Queen Bee added. 

The team looked around, satisfied at their brilliant plan. Then Chat reached Ladybug, and her smile dropped before his eyes.  
“M’lady, what troubles you?” He quickly asked. 

“Who will we get to be the bait?” Her voice shook quietly. “Who's going to lure the murderer out?”

Everyone's happy mood was washed away. 

“I'll gladly risk my life.” Chat spoke up. But Ladybug still looked displeased. 

“We can't have a hero luring out a murderer, he'll get scared and might not even show up. Why would he want to take on someone who could very easily kill him?”

“I would never-“

“We all know that you wouldn't ever kill a person, none of us would. But he would think differently, being a murderer and all.” 

“Then, we need a civilian?” Chat tried.  
Ladybug nodded. 

“But who?”

“One of us could, in civilian form that is.” Rena suggested. Carapace and Queen Bee nodded. 

“I could do it.” Carapace offered. 

“Your identities must remain a secret.” Ladybug reminded them, her worried expression not leaving her face. 

“Then I’ll do it. You guys know who I am.” Queen Bee quickly said, knowing Ladybug would go on about identities. 

“The criminal probably knows your a hero then to. And plus, we all need to be ready to take him down.” Ladybug turned her down. 

“So who? Who is he most likely to go after?” Chat questioned. 

“Well what do all the other victims have in common? That way, he'll be more likely to fall into our trap.” Rena deciphered. 

Carapace on that note pulled out his phone with all seven victims. 

“They're all girls?” Queen Bee quickly noticed. 

“Around 17, maybe 20 ish?” Chat added. 

“But look, they all have earrings, round, dark ones. Most girls wear earrings I know, but don't you guys think it's weird that they're all the same style.” Rena pointed out. 

Ladybug gasped. “Sorry.” She quickly said, not meaning to take the clue so astoundingly. 

‘My earrings.  
My ladybug earrings, they're exactly the same! This guy must be working for Hawkmoth, I knew it!’ Ladybug thought. ‘But that means-‘ 

Her thoughts were interrupted by Chat. He had noticed her scared look. 

“Ladybug, Ladybug are you ok?” He asked. 

“Y-yeah, I'm fine. I think I know who we can ask.” 

“Who?” They all eagerly pleaded.  
“Her name’s Marinette Dupain-Cheng.” She spoke softly. 

“What! No! You can't let Marinette be the bait! She could get hurt, or worse! You can't just sacrifice her like that!” Chat bursted out. 

The other four stared in amazement. They didn't know Chat held such strong feelings towards Marinette. They would never have guessed that he cared so much about her.  
Sure, none of them wanted someone like Marinette, an inexperienced civilian, to take what they all thought was their place, but they would all be there to save her if she got in trouble. 

“I agree with Chat. We really can't let a civilian, like Marinette, stand in harms way.” Rena was scared for her friend. Like Chat, she didn't want Marinette to get hurt. 

“Marinette's a great choice Ladybug.” Queen Bee had a smug smile plastered on her face. Marinette and Chloe’s hatred towards each other was definitely lopsided on Chloe's side if she gladly agree to Marinette possibly dying.  
Ladybug rolled her eyes, a little hurt by Queen Bee’s comment, but slightly glad that someone backed her up seeing how difficult trying to convince the rest of the team was going to be. 

“Trust me. Marinette is about the killer’s age range, plus she's got those earrings doesn't she?” Ladybug tried to convince her team. 

“But what if something bad happens to her, it'll be our fault.” Carapace said. 

Ladybug looked around at the people she trusted more than ever. The people she'd trust with her life. What if something bad happens to me? 

“If something bad were to happen to her, I will personally see to it that it is my entire fault. I suggested it, and I'll ask her making sure she knows exactly what she's risking.” 

“I still don't think it's a good idea.” Chat huffed. “Can't I just do it?” He said out of frustration. 

“We went over this Chat, your iden-“

“My identity needs to remain secret, yeah, yeah I know.” Chat finished Ladybug’s sentence in an obnoxious mocking tone. 

“Chat please, I know Marinette would gladly do anything for her city.” Ladybug tried to convince him. 

“I'm sorry Ladybug, but I can't let you sacrifice Marinette like that. I know we aren't supposed to saying anything that could reveal our identities, but Marinette's my friend and I can't let you risk her life, she's a civilian, we’re supposed to protect her not practically hand her to a mad murderer!” Chat said with his elbows on the table to be solemn with Ladybug as he stared directly at her. 

Marinette was touched. She didn't know who Chat was, but never had she felt so loved by obviously a close friend. 

“Chat I-“ Ladybug swallowed the lump in her throat. 

“Ladybug please don't ask Marinette to be the bait.” Rena interrupted. “I know Marinette to, and she would very much agree to helping us, she'd go too far even and most likely get hurt.”

“That's why we all need to be there, ready to protect her.” Ladybug quickly reminded them. “We all need to be prepared for every scenario, every outcome, so we can protect Marinette. She won't get hurt if we step in on time, but we can't let our personal relationships with Marinette cloud our judgement and jump in too early, scaring off the criminal.” 

“So, if Marinette's our lure, what is everyone else going to do? How are we supposed to keep Marinette safe while battling a dangerous man?” Carapace asked. 

———

The meeting continued, long past ten. Chat was mostly silent the rest of the night. He couldn't believe Ladybug was just going to let Marinette be involved in their take down of probably the most dangerous villain they were ever going to face. What he did couldn't be fixed with Ladybug’s lucky charm. 

“So we all agree, Rena, you'll give the police our location and help them lock him away. Carapace, you’ll protect Marinette with your shield, watching her every movement. Queen Bee, you’ll poison him so the police can take him away safely. Chat, you’ll catch him, with the help of Rena and Queen Bee, you have the most combat experience.” Ladybug confirmed. 

“And you'll be keeping the area safe, assuring the public keeps a safe distance away.” Chat added. 

“Right, sounds like a plan.” Rena stood up to leave. She knew saving Paris was more important, but her Chemistry assignment kept haunting her. 

“Just one more thing, who's asking Marinette, and what if she refuses?” Carapace asked. Rena sat down with a sigh. 

“I'll do it.” Ladybug and Chat Noir said simultaneously. 

“Her house is on my way home, I can do it.” Ladybug quickly tried to persuade him to let her go.  
She immediately regretted saying anything since she had just risked her identity. One- she knew where Marinette lived, two- it was on her way home. True, they were twisted truths, but no one really knew where Marinette lived aside from her friends and some people in her class, that was a fact. 

“Well I think it would be better if I told her on the account that you'd probably beg her and she wouldn't exactly know what she was getting into.” Chat retorted bitterly.  
He had grown angry at Ladybug this evening, for one, even suggesting a civilian was to lure an extremely dangerous man out. It wasn't like her to sacrifice other people. She always went on about how it was their duty as the heroes of Paris to always protect and sacrifice themselves first before anyone else. It just wasn't like her. And Chat didn't admire the moral change. 

“I think Chat should go.” Rena spoke up. She wanted a decision to be made, quickly. “He’s not going to sugar coat it.”

“I agree with Rena.” Carapace added. He usually agreed with Rena. Not just because she was his girlfriend, but because she made some pretty good points sometimes. 

“That’s four to one Ladybug.” Queen Bee said with a shrug. 

Ladybug looked at them all astounded. How quickly had she'd been overruled?

“What makes you think I'm going to sugar coat it?” Ladybug turned to Rena, quite offended if she was honest. 

“You suggested we ask Marinette, you want her to do it, so naturally you're going to beg.” Chat answered for Rena, who didn't seem to mind.  
Everyone nodded in agreement. 

“Ok, fine. Chat will ask Marinette. But it's late, so you might want to go tomorrow.” Ladybug sighed. Great, Chat Noir is going to pay a little visit to my house. And I'm going to have to convince him again that I should do it.  
Ladybug huffed. 

“Well, I think that about ends this meeting, see you guys on Thursday?” Chat pushed himself up dramatically.  
Rena quickly followed his lead. 

“Ok then. Queen Bee, Rena, Carapace, I need your Miraculouses back. If we run through the plan Wednesday night, ah, where will I find all of you to give you a Miraculous?” Ladybug stood, cause the rest to stand and they all began to file out. 

“I'll be at home. Carapace will be there to.” Rena rapidly answered taking Carapace by the hand and pulling him towards the door. 

“Bug off.” Chloe de-transformed in the conference room and handed her Miraculous back. “I'll be at home as well.” 

Ladybug nodded thankfully. 

“Rena, Carapace, I'll meet you in the street over. See you tomorrow for patrol Chat?” Ladybug offered as an apology. But Chat didn't look pleased. 

“Sure.” He grumbled as he left the room. The other three followed quickly before Ladybug could try and explain for the dozenth time that what they were doing was the right thing to do. 

Ladybug had never felt so hated and yet so loved.


	3. This Isn’t Easy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will Chat Noir ask Marinette to be the bait? What’s wrong with Adrien?

Tuesday night rolled around. Marinette still hadn't seen Chat Noir. She paced back and forth in her bedroom, warring a long trench in her floor boards. Tikki tried to calm her nerves, but she figured it be best if she just gave the girl some space for now. It had been a long day, Marinette had been so distracted at points and then listened intently in others.   
Marinette may have even overheard Nino and Alya talking about the meeting, and how Ladybug wasn't her usual self. She noticed Alya taking often glances at her, she could tell that her friend was dying to tell her to not be the bait, but that would mean revealing her identity.   
Nino, Alya, Chloe, and Adrien for some reason, all seemed more worried than before. They had fear in their eyes, and their faces were free of any bright spirit. Marinette felt so incredibly bad for doing that to Alya, Nino, and Chloe. Another thing that was her fault. 

She just couldn't get anything right lately. What if she messed up this whole plan? Paris could be overthrown by Hawkmoth if they didn't catch the murderer for all she knew. And it would be all her fault if that happened. Thousands of lives, gone, because of her. Because if something, anything, went wrong and the murderer guy was able to steel her earrings for Hawkmoth, which is what she thought his aim was, well, everything she knew would collapse. No more Ladybug, and Hawkmoth was halfway to being granted a wish that could possibly destroy Paris, or even the whole world for all she knew. 

See, if her suspicions were correct, Hawkmoth had hired some professional assassin to try and take down Ladybug and Chat Noir as civilians. He had become so desperate, that he was willing to have anyone with earrings that looked roughly the same and a similar appearance to Ladybug be killed for her jewels. As soon as he got the real ones, he would move to Chat Noir. She had to stop all of this now, saving as many lives as she could. 

A lot was riding on her. 

Marinette fell to the ground on her knees, sobbing. It was all too much. The guilt, the doubt, the fear. She was so scared. Scared that things could all go wrong. Scared that her friends could get hurt, that she could get hurt. Scared that the whole of Paris would blame her for its downfall, and even if they didn't, she would still feel the guilt. 

“I'm so scared Tikki! I can't do this anymore, I can't be responsible for all these lives, I can't-“ 

“You can Marinette! You can do anything, you're Ladybug! You're strong, and powerful, and courageous! People look up to you because you have given them a reason to, not because you wear a mask. Please Marinette, stop crying. What else can I say, Adrien and Chat Noir both tried to help.” Tikki quickly interjected before things got out of hand. Perhaps it wasn't a good idea to let her get carried away in thought. 

“But what if it all fails? This plan, it's not exactly full prof, he might not even show up.” Marinette sniffed as she wiped away her tears. 

“What if it works!” Tikki bursted with a huge grin. “What if everything goes to plan and you, and Chat Noir, and all the other heroes save Paris! Focus on the good things Marinette. Even if things don't all go to plan, the best thing you can do now is make sure you do everything you can to make that plan full proof.”

Marinette sniffed again, the last tear rolling down her cheek as a smile grew on her face. “I've been silly haven't I?” Marinette laughed as she remembered nearly splatting on a wall the night before. 

Tikki only giggled. “You have a lot of people depending on you, but that shouldn't make you doubt yourself.” 

“Thanks Tikki. I think I need some fresh air.” Marinette pulled herself up off the floor with a last sniff and rub of eyes, and she went down stairs to the kitchen to take out the bins. 

“I'm just taking the rubbish out Maman!” Marinette called from the corridor into the bakery. 

“Alright dear!” Sabine called back, not realising exactly what her daughter had said. But only a moment later did she drop what she was doing and rush out after Marinette. 

It wasn't like the bin for the block was on the other side of town with dangerous ally-ways lining it. It was only a block away, and it wasn't completely pitch black yet, it was only 7:13pm. But the latest news stories had shook everyone in Paris. And Sabine was terrified that her baby girl was alone in the street at night. 

“Marinette! Don't you ever do that again. From now on, you're not allowed out from six o’clock. You'll stay in the house. No more going out at night, understand?” Sabine raised her voice. It was one of those rare occasions. Fear had overtaken her. 

“Maman, calm down. I just went to take the trash out, it's not that far from the house.” Marinette held her mother's arms to try and calm her nerves. 

“Oh I'm sorry dear, but you can't be out like this anymore, it's just not safe. And your father will agree with me.” 

“But look! I'm still here, I'm fine, really, I can look out for myself. But if you want me to stay inside, I will, I don't want to scare you.” Marinette ushered her mum back inside, took her upstairs and sat her down with a hot tea. 

“Now I'm going to do some homework, are you sure you're going to be ok?” Marinette asked. Her smile warmed her mother's heart more than any drink could. 

“Oh dear, I'm fine. I'm supposed to be worried about you!” Sabine laughed.  
Marinette joined in as she walked the stairs to her bedroom. 

———

Adrien couldn't stop looking at Marinette all day. Some moments were him in awe of her beauty. Those were quickly tossed away as Ladybug was the only love of his life. But then Marinette's kindness and compassion reminded him of last night's fiasco with Ladybug completely changing moral compasses. Well, not completely, but everything she said just wasn't like her.   
The other moments when Adrien's stare was fixated on his second crush, were moments when he would almost make himself cry. He was savouring the last time he would ever see Marinette if something were to happen to her Thursday night. He couldn't imagine a world without her. He cursed himself for only now realising what a great young woman was sitting behind him this whole time, and for not getting to know her deeper than he already did.   
His heart was torn between Ladybug and Marinette. Because if something were to happen to Marinette, he’d only have one choice left, and that would be Ladybug. But he couldn't bring himself to love someone who practically bought an innocent person to their death. He was loyal to Ladybug, but Marinette seemed to be changing that. 

Adrien couldn't take it any longer. Staring at the ceiling on his bed wasn't helping him in his dilemma. He needed to get to Friday without loosing his love for Ladybug, and without loosing Marinette. So there was no point in delaying that preferred outcome. 

Chat Noir bounded over buildings in a single bound. He leapt over busy roads below and landed on his feet, just like a Cat. He made record time to Marinette's house. But he was stopped from landing in her roof garden by said princess in the street below, talking to her mum. 

“Marinette! Don't you ever do that again. From now on, you're not allowed out from six o’clock. You'll stay in the house. No more going out at night, understand?” Chat overheard. It sounded like Marinette was in trouble. 

“Maman, calm down. I just went to take the trash out, it's not that far from the house.” Marinette said back. 

Chat figured out what was happening: Marinette had taken the trash out, but her mum was scared because of the guy who’s killed seven people. The same guy he was about to ask Marinette to lure out.   
Why was he here! He couldn't ask that of Marinette, she meant too much to him. At least if Ladybug had gone to ask her, she actually would've. 

“Oh I'm sorry dear, but you can't be out like this anymore, it's just not safe. And your father will agree with me.”   
The conversation continued. Chat had forgotten that he was listening in. 

“But look! I'm still here, I'm fine, really, I can look out for myself. But if you want me to stay inside, I will, I don't want to scare you.”   
Marinette's voice was so delicate and soft. She was so brave to come out at night to help her parents. And she obliged to what they asked of her, even if she thought it a useless rule. 

Ahh! How was he going to do this? She was the perfect bait as Ladybug had pointed out, but he wouldn't be able to live with himself if something happened to her. That's why he had to be on the ready. He was going to watch her like a hawk, and if any danger came her way, he would take her straight to the hospital. He was going to map out the quickest way and practice it over and over so he would be able to do it in his sleep. He didn't care if it was Carapace’s job, he couldn't ask Marinette if he didn't assign himself the duty of protecting her. 

———

Marinette opened the hatch door to her bedroom and climbed into the safety of her room. She was afraid that Chat wasn't coming to ask her to lure the murderer out. He was probably thinking of other plans and ways to capture him that didn't involve the use of a civilian. But just as she began tidying her room, a knock echoed from her skylight above her bed. She sighed a breath of relief as Chat Noir’s worrisome face stared down at her. Thank goodness he's following the plan. 

“Chat Noir?” Marinette opened the hatch to the roof acting little surprised. “Is there something wrong?” She put on a face to match his. 

“No, no nothing wrong Princess, well, it's not very right either. Mind if I come in, I need to ask you something.” Chat’s gloominess was contagious. Marinette was genuinely concerned about what he had to ask her, she'd forgot that she knew and was supposed to be only acting. 

“Yes, please come in.” She ushered. As soon as his puppy-dog eyes left her stare, she snapped back to reality. Acting, yes acting, I know nothing, but I know everything, encourage him to do it my way. 

Chat pounced down the stairs to the lower level of the bed room and gestured for her to sit on the couch near the window. Marinette did so, walking confidently, but still with a concerned look on her face. 

Chat pulled the wheely chair from the desk over. He sat on it gracefully, leaning over and folding his arms across his lap. His expression was so entrancing. Marinette couldn't help but look scared. 

“What is it? There's something wrong isn't there, something wrong with Paris?” Marinette could see that he was too nervous to speak, so she pushed him a little. 

“Not quite. Why I'm here has something to do with that psychopath murderer.”  
Chat looked up, Marinette could've sworn he looked ashamed. 

“Has there been another murder?” Marinette asked inquisitively to try and lighten the mood. But lightening a mood is kinda hard when talking about a murderer. 

“No, not that I know of. It's just, well, Ladybug and I, and the whole hero team have discussed a plan, it's still in the works, but we hope to take the murderer down.” Chat kept fidgeting and looking away. Marinette felt bad. It must be hard to ask someone you know to do something so life threatening. Maybe she should've fought harder for Ladybug to be the one to ask Marinette. Wait, did he say the plan was still being worked on?

“So there is a plan! Yes, I knew it. You're going to catch that bad guy, lock him up and throw away the key!” Marinette stood up triumphantly, giving a fist pump to the sky. 

Chat laughed at her antics for a moment, but quickly returned to his depressed state. “I hope we catch him, but you have to understand that it's going to be hard, he's not the usual akumatised victim Ladybug and I fight daily.” 

“Well that's ok, I'm sure it wouldn't be that different. And you'll have lots of heroes there to won't you? You guys all look out for each other.” Marinette encouraged. She had to help Chat feel better about the whole thing. It was her fault he was depressed, and she hated seeing him like this. 

“Yeah, lots of heroes. But that's not what I came to tell you.” Chat sat up. His deep green eyes met her vibrant blue ones.   
“You have to understand that this is the hardest thing I've ever done, and I've been up against Hawkmoth before, so that's saying something.” Chat bowed his head with a huff. “Ah, I'm sorry Marinette but I can't do it, I can't ask that of you!” He threw himself off the chair and paced away dramatically. 

“Chat I…” Marinette stopped, reminding herself that she wasn't supposed to know what he was trying to ask her. “I-I, I’m sorry.” She wanted so bad to beg him to let her help. If she asked to help, then he wouldn't have to ask. But he might get suspicious. 

“No, it's not your fault.” His back still to her as his feet took him to the window. “It's Ladybug’s.” Marinette heard Chat mutter coldly. It was a quick stab to the heart. She had no idea how much Ladybug suggesting they use Marinette had changed his opinion of her. It was only a week ago that Chat had asked her on a date and confessed his love for Ladybug. How could he suddenly hate her?

“W-what did Ladybug do?” Marinette inquired in hopes to defend herself. 

Chat flinched as if he had forgotten he wasn't alone in the room.   
“Ah, nothing, she did nothing. I just, it's just a silly argument, we're still a team.” He turned, a fake smile plastered on his face and pain in his eyes. 

Marinette did not look impressed. “Chat,” she said softly. His smile slowly faded. “You're not like this because you have to ask me something. It's because of your relationship with Ladybug, isn't it.” Marinette carefully approached him as to not scare him from leaving her, the question still unanswered.   
He just stared back in awe. So she continued to read his eyes, and piece a few things together.   
“You came here to ask me something didn't you. And you can't because it has something to do with Ladybug and a disagreement you to had. You love her too much to be mad at her, but you can't support her decision, can you?” 

Chat Noir stood against the wall in shock. How did she do that? How was Marinette reading parts of his mind that even he couldn't read?  
Chat opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out, just a breath that he didn't know he was holding in. So he swallowed and tried again. Her eyes were so blue in the moonlight, magical even. Compose yourself Adrien! 

“How did you do that?” His voice was quiet and rough. He swallowed again, trying not to look at those blue-bell eyes staring into his soul. 

“Magic?” She shrugged with a smile and ended up giggling once she caught Chat looking at her as if she was dead serious. “Here, sit down. You can tell me everything or nothing, but- but sometimes it's good to talk, you know?” Marinette lead Chat by his hand to the couch. She sat him down as he got lost in her eyes. 

“So?” She pressured noticing the lifeless expression on his face. But nothing seem to be ticking.   
“How about you tell me what happened, and maybe I can fix it, and find out what you wanted to ask me, that way you don't have to ask me.” 

Chat clicked back to reality as Marinette blinked slowly and the mesmerising eyes closed for a split second.   
“Oh ah, sorry.” He stammered. 

“It's ok.” Marinette giggled sweetly.   
Ah! How could he ever ask this girl to sacrifice herself?

Chat gave a nervous laugh to compose himself.   
“So yeah, the story, it's not that long, but it's, it's still, I don't know, hard for me I guess.” Chat wanted to tell Marinette everything. He didn't know why, but she had asked so kindly, like a close friend would. Only Ladybug knew him well enough to know that if something was up, you had to ask him directly if you ever wanted to know what happened. Something like, ‘what's wrong?’ didn't count. He didn't like telling people his problems if he wasn't absolutely certain that they wanted to know, and cared enough to listen. 

“I'm here Chat, I'm listening.” Marinette placed her small hand on his leather clad one, knowing exactly how to deal with him.   
Sparks shot up from his hand. Chat smiled. 

“Well, Ladybug had called a meeting, all the heroes were there, and we made a plan to take down this murderer.” Chat started off in a happy tone, but his face slowly turned glum.   
“But then, well, I didn't really think anything of it when she first suggested it, well I was the one to suggest it, but she implied it.” Chat spoke up self defensively. Marinette simply pressed on his hand harder as if telling him, ‘it's alright, you don't need to defend your actions.’   
Chat sighed. “I suggested it. I wish I could take it back. Because now. Now I'm here asking if you would sacrifice yourself. Ladybug had to go and think that you were the best person to lure the murderer out. I mean, she's not wrong. You look very much like his other victims. Earrings,” Marinette quickly covered, then revealed, once realising where he was going, “age, height, body type even. You’d be our-“ Chat refrained from continuing the sentence as he thought that she might change her decision if he told her that she was their best chance.   
“I guess what I'm trying to say is, that even though Ladybug wasn't technically wrong to think that you're a good match for the murderer’s next victim, I just can't let you sacrifice yourself by being the bait.” 

“Chat,” Marinette started. “I want this murderer out of the streets of Paris as much as you, and Ladybug. And I will do whatever it takes.” She stated clearly that she was on board, even with Chat’s plea.

“Please Marinette you don't understand!” Chat Noir turned to face her, his hands now on top of hers. “You could get hurt, or worse!” Chat begged. 

“I know. But if it means dozens of other lives are saved, I want to make that sacrifice.” Marinette put on a brave smile. 

“I knew I shouldn't've asked you. I can't let you help us, I'm sorry. We can think of another way to-“

“Chat, please. You didn't technically ask me. You just told me a story. So, think of it as a citizen asking to be of service? That way it's my fault if I get a little scratch or something, not yours because you didn't ask me to do anything.” Marinette tried her best to convince the worried cat. 

But as he lifted his head, Marinette saw the glaze of tears over his eyes. 

“I can't let you risk your life, if you…if you-“

“I promise you Chat, I will not die.”

“But if you do!… It's on me.” His voice rose as quickly as if fell.   
Marinette was speechless. What else could she say? She would sacrifice herself any day to save even just one life. It was her duty. It was Ladybug’s duty. Ladybug wouldn't have ever suggested any other name but her own. But Marinette wasn't Ladybug to anyone else. Marinette was an average teenaged girl who had a family and went to school. She had friends and even a crush. Marinette didn't go out sacrificing herself for the city. Her friends and family never worried that she might not come home. Ladybug was there to protect her. No one was there to protect Ladybug.  
It was Chat Noir's duty as well to protect everyone in Paris. It was easy for Ladybug to let Marinette walk into the face of danger because once again she was sacrificing herself. But Chat Noir wasn't Marinette. He wasn't sacrificing himself. He was sacrificing what he thought an average citizen. If something were to happen, he would never forgive himself. He would've failed at the one responsibility he had - protecting all the people in Paris. Marinette had only just truely realised how hard it was for Chat to let her go and lure the murderer out in what could possibly turn out to be a life threatening battle. 

“I'm…sorry Chat.” Marinette pulled Chat Noir in for a hug. Chat let his tears roll down his cheeks.   
She was so warm. The hug was tight enough for him to feel safe, and loose enough for it to be gentle and kind feeling. He even hummed a little, well it was more of a purr, but he didn't want to admit that. 

“Look Chat,” Marinette pulled away, “I know how hard this must be for you, I get it, you're supposed to protect me but instead you're asking me to do what you think is your job. And so if you really don't want me to, I won't. I don't want you to feel guilty if something happens. There's other ways to catch this guy right? I just don't want you to feel like you're not doing your job. Even if you would be protecting me throughout the whole take down.” Marinette ended with a smirk. 

“Thank you Princess!” Chat pulled her back into a hug eagerly; his whole mood changing.  
“Now all we have to do is come up with another, better plan, that doesn't involve civilians.” 

Marinette had never seen him so happy. But now that their best plan had been washed down the drain, she wasn't sure that it was worth it if the murderer struck again tonight. Coming up with a new plan would take time. It was Wednesday tomorrow which was supposed to be their run through day. They couldn't do that without a plan. So they were probably going to form a plan in their run through time. Which meant they either didn't have a run through or they pushed the plan back to later, which would risk the murderer striking again. 

Chat noticed Marinette's look of thought and asked what was wrong. She couldn't tell him the domino effect her backing out had, so she just smiled nervously and shrugged, simply stating that she was scared that the murderer may not be caught. Which was a genuine concern as well. 

“You don't have to worry. Ladybug and Chat Noir are here to save the day.” Chat declared triumphantly as he walked towards the ladder up to her bed. “Everything is going to be ok Princess, just stay safe.” He winked before exiting through the top hatch door and leaping off the roof. 

Marinette was left alone again in her room, her worries left to comfort her. 

“What am I going to do Tikki?” Marinette walked over to where her kwami was hiding.


	4. Change of Plans

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What now? Adrien realises that he messed up big time. Without a plan, how can the heroes possibly catch the murderer before he strikes again?

Adrien woke to the sound of rain the next morning. He took a glance out of his tall glass windows and noticed that the clouds and rain had made it impossible to see beyond the buildings across the road. A sigh escaped his lips. He hated rainy days. 

Adrien pulled himself out of bed and a thought popped into his head. Patrol. He hoped that Ladybug had managed patrol on her own. True, he did purposely not go to their meeting point, but after his visit as his alter ego to Marinette's house, he had genuinely forgotten and headed straight home to bed. 

“So what are you gonna do now?” Plagg asked as he flew into the bathroom where Adrien was brushing his hair. 

“Do about what Plagg?” Adrien asked in complete ignorance. 

“Well since you couldn't bare Marinette helping you out because you're so in love with her, your plan to catch this killing guy is ruined.” Plagg said frankly. 

Adrien stared into the mirror for a bit realising what had happened. Marinette wasn't the bait, which meant the day's run through would be spent on making a new plan, which pushed the actual take down till further in the future, leaving the murderer more time to kill! 

“What have I done!” Adrien grabbed his hair.   
“And I'm not in love with Marinette Plagg.” 

“Whatever you say. But in all my long Kwami years, I have learnt that when a person begs someone else so much to not even try to help, just to protect her, he usually loves that person.” Plagg floated off smugly. Leaving Adrien to worry about what he was going to do. 

———

The pouring rain outside had caused Marinette to sleep in. Her room was so dark and the pelting rain was strangely calming. Tikki had to wake her up. 

Marinette quickly ran down the ladder from her bed to the first level of the bedroom and went to the bathroom to get dressed. But she was stopped by the sight of three Miraculous boxes sitting on her desk. 

“What should we do Tikki?” Marinette asked worriedly as she picked up a box. 

“You’ll find a way Marinette.” Tikki chirped by her wielder’s shoulder. 

Marinette thought for a bit as she examined the box. 

“I think I should give them all their Miraculouses now, let them look after it until after this murderer is caught.” Marinette thought aloud. 

“Are you sure you can trust them?” Tikki knew they could all be trusted, she just wanted to make sure Marinette thought they could. 

“Yes. I trust them, even Chloe.” Marinette laughed. “But do you think Master Fu would mind?” 

“I'm sure he trusts your judgment. You're doing it to make sure the killer is caught as soon as possible.” Tikki encouraged. 

“Then it's a plan. Alya, Nino, and Chloe will wear their Miraculous always like Chat Noir and I until this mission is complete.” Marinette picked up all three boxes and placed them in a bag.   
“Tikki, spots on!” 

Ladybug delivered all three Miraculouses before breakfast and arrived back home just in time to eat a quick breakfast and walk to school. But as her transformation washed away, a soaking wet, pyjama wearing Marinette replaced her. Therefore the time for breakfast was spent in the shower and the time walking to school was spent getting dressed and rushing to get her bag packed. 

———

The bell rung for lunch and Marinette was never more eager to leave class. They had just spent one hour listening to all the reports of the current murders committed by, what the police were now calling, the Dark Hood (it was originally Dark Assassin, but after a traumatic report of a civilian who witnessed the akuma battle, the authorities thought it best to not bring up bad memories, and since the guy had his face covered usually, ‘hood’ seemed fitting).   
She could not have been more thankful for the Mayor issuing the lesson as a safety warning. Ideas were being conjured up in her mind the whole time, but with Alya next to her, none could be written down. So the minute the bell rang, Marinette was out of the class room and hunched in her locker, writing frantically before the genius ideas disappeared. 

“What ya doing Marinette?” Adrien appeared at the locker next to her. 

“Bayah! Adrien, hehe, what are you doing here?” Marinette slammed her locker door shut, in a not so causal way. 

Adrien gave a puzzled look, but eventually brushed off the weird response as ‘he startled her’.   
“Um, I was just wondering if you were ok, you seemed pretty engaged with that video Miss Bustier showed us.” Adrien rubbed the back of his head as he did when he was nervous. 

“Uh oh yeah, I'm time. Fine! I mean fine, really.” Marinette fumbled with her words. 

After watching the hour of reports, Adrien had noticed the unusual similarities between each victim.  
Each victim had red coloured, circular earrings, was around 17-20 years old, and was female, as the heroes had discussed Monday night. But he had taken photos of each case file secretly with his tablet. When he zoomed up, he noticed the height: 5’4’’. The skin colour: fair. The nationality: French with traces of Chinese, Japanese, and Korean.   
These similarities all lined up with Marinette. He couldn't get the haunting thought out of his mind. Marinette was most likely on the Dark Hood’s list, she could be targeted at any moment.   
It was his duty to protect her. Adrien couldn't let Marinette die, not when he knew she was a target, and his friend. 

“Are you sure? Do you need me to walk you home or anything?” Adrien offered. He didn't want Marinette to be alone, ever, just leaving the Dark Hood to strike. 

“I’m fine. It was just interesting.” Marinette, after her freak out, had remembered her ideas and how she needed to be writing them down. Adrien was distracting her and wasting her precious ideas-writing-down time. 

“Please Marinette, you don't look well, let me walk you home for lunch.” Adrien persisted. 

“Ok then.” Marinette agreed to stop him asking and persisting. “Just let me grab my bag and I'll meet you out the front of the school.” She smiled, dying inside as each idea faded away with each second he was there. 

“Don't leave without me.” Adrien gently touched her shoulder. Marinette had never felt warmer. But her ideas! 

As soon as he left, Marinette was back to writing.   
Five minutes past before all ideas were written down and she had hit a stump.   
A sigh escaped Marinette’s mouth. At last, she was done. Now she could relax for the rest of the lunch break. 

Marinette packed her note book into her bag and closed her locker. ‘Adrien!’ She remembered, and bolted to the door. How could she forget her crush waiting for her? It was as if she didn't want him to ever love her. 

She ran past Alya and Nino who had bought their lunch from the cafeteria, not wanting to go out in the rain. “Marinette!” Alya called out. Marinette, being the polite friend she was, stopped to explain to her friend why she was in a rush. 

“You aren't seriously going out in that storm are you?” Alya grabbed her friend's hand. 

“My house is just across the road, and the rain’s not that heavy yet. Now quick, Adrien's been waiting forever.” Marinette took her hand back and ran to the school's entrance. 

“S-sorry.” Marinette puffed just as Adrien began to walk back in in an agitated state. He looked relieved to see her. Marinette couldn't think of a reason why that would be. 

“It's ok. I actually think it's better we stay here anyway. It's getting really heavy.” Adrien walked her away. 

“But my house is just across the road, I’ll just go grab something from the kitchen and come back.” Marinette argued, cringing in confusion at Adrien's sudden over protectiveness of her. 

“We can just get something to eat at the cafeteria like everyone else, I'll pay.” Adrien pressed his hand against her back, leading her forcefully away from the door. 

“Adrien?” Marinette stopped them. She didn't like weird, over protective Adrien, it reminded her of Chat. “What are you doing?” 

“N-nothing.” He said nervously, his face becoming flushed. 

“Ok. Well can I go get some lunch then?” She threw out, waiting for his response. 

“Sure lets go!” Adrien chirped, pushing Marinette towards the cafeteria. 

“I meant at my house.”   
Adrien stopped. Should he tell Marinette that he thought she was going to get killed by that psycho killer? Should he tell her that he just wanted to protect her?

“O-oh, ok. Well ah, can I walk you across the road?” He offered, not wanting to scared her with his presumptions. 

“Adrien. I am capable of walking across the road. But thank you.” Marinette quickly took her chance and briskly walked back to the doors of the school. She opened then to the surprisingly heavy rain and strong wind. 

Adrien watched her leave and told himself to just go find Nino and not worry about Marinette. But he couldn't get his body to listen. His legs couldn't move any further away from Marinette, he didn't want to loose her. 

“What's wrong with you? There's a very little chance your girlfriend is going to get killed on the way to her house, which is literally just across the road.” Plagg poked his head out of Adrien's pocket. 

“Marinette is just like all the other girls that were murdered. If he's in the area…” Adrien couldn't finish his sentence. 

“You're over reacting, now, let's hurry up and eat before lunch is over, I'm starving!” Plagg whined. 

“Do you think about anything other than your stom-“

Adrien was interrupted, again, this time by Marinette, drenched and sprinting past him. 

“Marinette wait!” He called out, but it was useless getting her attention with the pouring rain around them.   
So he chased after her. 

How was it that the clumsiest girl he knew ran at a speed that had him puffing after a few metres. And she kept that speed all the way to the cafeteria. 

“Alya, you know Ladybug right?” Marinette position herself at the head of the table, next to Alya. She made sure Nino and Chloe could hear as well. It was time.

“Yeah who doesn't? And why did you go outside, there's a massive storm going over us.” Alya laughed at her friend's appearance. 

Adrien came running up to the table, unaware of what was happening. 

“I mean can you contact her. Chat Noir came to me last night and asked if I could lure out that Dark Hood guy.” 

Adrien sat down across from Alya, puffing. Where was she going with this? He overheard their conversation. Nevertheless, his alter ego was being discussed and a very important mission was about to be revealed. He sat quietly though, secret hero business or not, he trusted Marinette to keep anything not for public knowledge to herself. He just wished she would lower her voice. 

Alya dropped her fork. She was a superhero now, transformed or not, and the plan Ladybug, Chat Noir, Nino, Chloe and her had made was being discussed. She needed to listen. 

Nino was listening to their conversation from the start. But his ears perked up, and he began mindlessly stirring his soup. 

Chloe came and stood by Marinette as soon as she heard ‘Ladybug’. 

“You know I'm a superhero too Marinette, there's not just Ladybug. And of course that means I would have a direct contact to her, so why bother informing Alya of this private hero’s business?” Chloe interrupted rudely. Alya gave her a silencing stare, she was fed up with ‘Queen Bee’ thinking she knew everything, she obviously didn't. 

“Quiet Chloe, this is serious. There's a guy outside, I think he's the murderer.” Marinette lowered her voice and leant in. The other four heroes leant in with her.   
“I think I can lure him out now, before lunch is over, but we have to move fast, he's right outside the bakery and I'm not sure he’ll wait for me again much longer.”

“Wait, what do you mean again?” Alya’s concern for her friend was strong. 

“Well I went outside to go home, but I saw him beginning to cross the road. I pretended to forget something, and casually walked back inside.” Marinette explained quickly. 

“So he must think you're coming back soon.” Chloe deduced. 

Marinette nodded. “That's why I think this would be your only chance to get him, it's raining so there's no bystanders, and he's expecting me.”

“No! You-“ you're not Chat Noir Adrien, shut up! Adrien bit his tongue and looked down, embarrassed. Marinette had promised him she wouldn't be the bait. And now here she was, telling her her friends what the plan was. She couldn't do that! Didn't she understand that it might freak them out? Of course she wouldn't, she wasn't a superhero, Adrien couldn't expect her to. 

Everyone gave Adrien a questioning look but quickly brushed the interruption off as Chloe spoke up. “I better contact Ladybug and she can get the rest of the heroes ready. Pollen-“

“No, you can't transform here, people would get worried, you need to make sure no one knows what's happening.” Marinette quickly stopped Chloe. 

Chloe nodded, accepting Marinette's instructions as if she were Ladybug.   
“Ah, I shouldn't be listening to this, it sounds really important.” Adrien scurried off, his head still hung. He needed to convince Marinette that attacking now was a bad idea, but he couldn't do it as Adrien.

“Well, ah, I’m going to see if I can contact Ladybug through the ah distress signal on the Ladyblog.” Alya grabbed Nino’s hand and pulled him away. 

Marinette nodded. She knew she could count on her friends. She had at least three heroes to defend her civilian self and capture the Dark Hood, that was more than enough. Chat was only going to watch her anyway and she could take care of herself, so basically, everything was going according to plan. Now all she had to do was change her earrings (in case he did take them, she needed to make sure he didn't get what she thought he wanted, well, what Hawkmoth had probably paid him to get), it was a precaution she needed to take even if it meant not being able to transform. She had to trust her friends (and Chloe) with her life. But now was no time for worrying, she had a responsibility as Ladybug to protect the city, even if that meant Ladybug wasn't


	5. The Take Down

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It is time. The heroes may not ever have another chance.  
> Marinette just hopes she can trust her friends to protect her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry Christmas y’all  
> Sorry for the late post

Marinette opened the door of the school to the windy, rainy outside world. She walked to the edge of where the roof covered part of the pavement; the top of the stairs. She looked in her bag, acting, searching though it as she glanced across the road. The dark figure was still there, by the side of the bakery, just out of the light that shone out from the inside. Tikki smiled up from her bag, giving her confidence. A sigh escaped her lips. 

You're Ladybug Marinette, what could go wrong?

Chloe looked down from the school roof, she saw the Dark Hood. 

“Come on Ladybug, pick up!” Chloe whispered with urgency as her head darted from Marinette to the killer to her superhero phone and back to Marinette. 

To her surprise, instead of Ladybug turning up, it was Rena and Carapace. 

“What’s happening? Ladybug told us it was time.” Rena sat down next to Queen Bee. It wasn't exactly the lie Alya thought it was. 

“You mean she's here? I've been trying to get a hold of her for ages.” Queen Bee looked at Rena in confusion. 

Carapace widened his eyes, Alya’s plan wasn't working. 

“W-well here or not, we have a murderer in our site.” Rena pointed down to where the Dark Hood once stood. 

But he was gone. 

The three heroes stomachs sank. 

“Split up, we need eyes on him and Marinette at all times.” Queen Bee took charge. Rena and Carapace nodded. 

“Chat Noir and Ladybug better show up soon.” 

———

Marinette couldn't hear or see anything in the rain, but she assumed Chloe, Alya, and Nino were suited up as heroes, and watching her like they had planned. 

So she stepped out into the rain, now wishing for an umbrella. Tikki was in her purse, and the earrings were in her locker. Marinette was ready, all she had to do was get the guy to the water’s edge (where they had planned as their take down spot as it was open and away from busy buildings and people), or, she could keep him distracted, allowing the heroes to strike without giving him a chance to fight back. Either way, Marinette walked at a brisk pace to the other side of the road, not to the bakery, but to the block closer to the river. 

As hoped, the Dark Hood followed her, crossing the road on the other side. He kept his distance and because of the fog the rain had created, Tikki was able to watch him. This way, if he made a move, she could warn Marinette. 

Marinette continued down a street that lead straight out to the river, it was a small gap between two buildings, each with levels and ledges that would allow for hiding and a quick escape. She planned any escape route she could in case Tikki gave her a signal. A ladder hung down a few steps ahead, she could jump up high enough to grab it and pull herself up. A few crates lined one side for a metre, she could use them as shields or even ammunition. A ledge came out from a filled-in window, she could jump up on that, grabbing the balcony diagonally upwards from it. 

———

Adrien ran to the locker room to transform. But it was filled with people. So he ran to the bathrooms, but people thought that also was a good place to hang out. It was useless trying to find a place when the whole school was wandering around, bored out of their minds with the wet weather. He figured the only place he could privately transform was in a class room. So, he bolted up stairs, ignoring any questioning looks from other students. 

Blinds shut and door closed, “Plagg, claws out!” 

Chat Noir jumped out of the two story window into the howling storm. He ran around the school building to the front, trying to find Marinette. But in the rain, it was hard for him - even with his night vision - to see anything. He didn't exactly like being out in the rain either. 

But a familiar yellow caught his eye. Queen Bee, followed by Rena Rouge and Carapace all swung across the sky to the block adjacent from the school. He quickly followed, cursing himself for being last on the scene apart from his lady. It was too late, the plan was in action and Marinette was defenceless. 

“What's happening? Where's Marinette?” Chat quickly asked, loud enough to be heard by Rena over the rain. 

“Marinette's got him down there, we were waiting for you and Ladybug for us to make our move. And by the way, I thought we all had an unspoken agreement that you weren't going to ask Marinette to be the bait!” Rena hit his shoulder in a not so friendly way. 

“I didn't! She promised she wouldn't!” Chat quickly interjected. He was not being blamed for this.

“But you still told her!” Rena gestured to the small girl in the alley below them. 

Chat Noir looked mournfully down at Marinette. Why was he still here? He needed to get her out of there and to a safe house. 

“I'm going to get her, she shouldn't be there.” Chat told the others, aiming his staff across the two buildings. 

“No wait!” Queen Bee called, grabbing Chat’s arm before he could be seen. “We might never get another chance. Don't let your emotions get in the way of the mission. That goes for all of you.” Queen Bee ordered. 

“But Marinette is a citizen, we’re supposed to protect her!” Chat cried. 

“Listen Chat, if we don't act now, then we’re going to loose the guy, and if that happens, he's going to kill Marinette anyway.” Queen Bee argued. 

“Well, I say we should get to Marinette before he does.” Rena added. “If we get Marinette to safety fast, we might still be able to capture him.” 

“It's too risky, we have to wait until he's by the river, we planed our attack there so it's the best chance we’ve got!” Queen Bee disagreed. 

“Ok, sure, but first, Marinette!” Rena added in a violent tone. 

“I agree with Rena, Marinette shouldn't be there!” Chat spoke up. 

“Well you can go interfere when I go down to paralyse him, that was the plan!” 

“So hurry up and paralyse him!”

“We can't now, he hasn't done anything yet. Ladybug said to stay hidden until he makes a move, that way he won't suspect it.”

“Ladybug's not here right now! The plan doesn't matter, Marinette's in danger!”

“She's not in danger! You're being crazy, she'll be fine because we'll have the guy behind bars before he can even lay a hand on her!” 

“Not unless we act now!”

“Chat’s right, I'll go in and get her while you guys get him.” 

“That wasn't the plan, it won't work! We’ll lose him and our chance to catch him.” 

“But Marinette-“ 

“Listen! There is a murderer down there. If we don't get to him now, he could kill more than one person. So we have to be sure in our strategy. And by the way, he’s not going to kill Marinette! We’re here to stop that, just be patient, she's fine!” Queen Bee tried to get her point across.

They were all silent, not realising how loud they were being - able to hear each other over the rain. 

“Now, hurry up and get into positions. Chat, see if you can get Ladybug.” Queen Bee quickly took charge with the absence of Ladybug

Rena and Carapace were hesitant to follow her orders, but after seeing Chat head off to find cover to contact Ladybug, they half-heartily obeyed. Chloe looked pleased with herself. 

“Quick! Marinette's in trouble!” Carapace screamed. 

———

Marinette noticed the heroes above her. Muffled words came down in waves as the rain oscillated it's volume. 

“Does he see-“ Marinette went to ask Tikki if he had noticed the heroes, but she was interrupted by Tikki flying up with an urgent expression. 

Marinette turned quickly to see the point of a knife. She instinctively turned down, the knife cutting through her clothes. He grunted in his failed attempt. 

The chase was on. Marinette looked up to see heroes still arguing. It was her versus the psychotic murderer - great. 

Marinette kicked the knife out of the Dark Hood’s hand. Fists were thrown by both parties, with a few kicks in between. 

Marinette was tiered after putting all her energy into punches. But he didn't seem even the slightest bit phased. Thus, he managed to pin Marinette up against the wall. She gasped for air as he threw her into the hard brick over and over. But a short break in his pushes gave Marinette just enough time to drop and roll to escape. The Dark Hood scrambled to get her back. But without his knife, killing her seemed a little harder. So he went for the knife with his arms, kicking her down with his legs. 

Marinette winced as the anvil like boot kicked her in the same place. Oh how she wished she had had enough strength to stand up in her get away. Apparently the Ladybug transformation provided a sizeable buffer. 

———

“Carapace, get her!” Queen Bee cried, turning in the direction of Carapace’s plea for urgency. Marinette was a limp blob, being repetitively kicked into a pile of garbage. The Dark Hood’s arm was raised and a knife that was about to launch down onto Marinette. 

Rena and Carapace dropped themselves into the ally. Queen Bee was close behind, but went undetected by the Dark Hood. She snuck up behind him and called on her power. 

He froze, the knife slipping from his paralysed fingers. The knife fell, slowly, painfully slow, but too quick for anyone to react, to stop it. The knife fell, tearing through clothes and skin. The murderer was stopped, but no one could stop the knife from falling to where the murderer aimed. Of course it didn't impale Marinette in the back. But the deep cut across the back of her shoulder didn't feel much different. The sheer pain caused her body to go into shock and she fell unconscious. 

Chat Noir heard a mighty scream over the pouring rain. A scream of pain that if he had been without his transformation, may not have heard. 

Ladybug couldn't be reached. He packed his baton behind him and raced back out into the rain, away from the shelter the bakery awning provided him. 

Marinette…

No. Don't think that. She's fine, just maybe scared. Scared, that's all. Not hurt. Not hurt, not hurt at all. 

Princess…

Chat ran faster. He turned, staring down the alley way. He saw what looked like three brightly coloured heroes, but the rain provided a fog. So he ran down until his legs began to slow and his heart began to speed up. 

No. Not you. 

The scream had come from Rena Rouge. Rena knelt by Marinette's side. Carapace was making his way down. Queen Bee just stared in shock. 

“Quickly! Do something!” Carapace screamed at the two girls. “The venom will ware off soon!” His voice was swallowed by the rain. 

Even with his super hearing, all Chat could hear was his heart beat. It thumped painfully in his ears. 

“Queen Bee snap out of it!” Carapace tried again. “Rena! Rena! Rena listen to me! She's going to be alright, we need to get her to a hospital quickly! Quickly!”

Rena didn't move. “Alya!” He shouted. 

Chat snapped out of his state at the sound of his friend's name. 

Alya? Alya, Rena. Alya, Marinette's best friend. Marinette. Marinette's in trouble. Marinette's in trouble! I have to help her! 

Chat sprinted. 

Rena looked up in shock of hearing her civilian name. But before she could scold Nino, Chat came rushing past her, scoping up Marinette. “Someone deal with the bad guy!” He cried. 

Carapace quickly obliged, dragging Rena and Queen Bee with him. 

———

Marinette felt cold. Her whole body throbbed, yet she felt no pain. She felt nothing but the cool wind rushing past the side of her face as a warm body carried her quickly. 

Chat Noir she thought, her eyes not daring to open to confirm her suspicions.  
“Sorry.” She whispered weakly remembering something that told her she'd done something her friend didn't want her to. 

Chat heard. Over all the rain and thunder he heard the soft timid voice below him. He let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. 

She was alive.  
He ran quicker. 

“Shhh, everything's going to be ok.” He assured her, coming up on the hospital. “I just wished you hadn't.” He mumbled, not meaning for her to hear. 

“It was my duty.” She mumbled. 

“No, no it wasn't!” He cried out in pain. 

“Yes it was kitty.” 

He was silent. 

———

Chat listened to her voice in his memory over and over. She had called him ‘kitty’, a nickname only Ladybug used. And she sounded so genuine in those few words they shared, but she was half unconscious.  
The doctors had rushed her off. He followed until he was forcefully removed from the building. And now he was making his way back to meet the team of heroes. 

——— 

“Has anyone got in touch with Ladybug yet?” Carapace sat down in the circle of heroes in the boiler room of the school. 

Chat Noir sighed at the silence. How could they be doing this now, with Marinette potentially dying in hospital.

They sat there, all staring at the ground, avoiding eye contact with each other. 

Ten minutes past. 

Chat didn’t want to think about anything, but he couldn’t help it. Marinette’s pale face kept screaming at him. Then came Ladybug saying that everything was fine, even though it wasn’t. It was everything but fine. He kept imagining Ladybug’s snarky face, satisfied that the mass murderer was behind bars. And it made him throw up in his mouth. How could anyone be proud of what happened today. She wasn’t even there Adrien, she had nothing to do with the take down. He had to remind himself. But it didn’t help. He couldn’t help but feel bitter with anger against Ladybug. Perhaps finding reasons to be annoyed at Ladybug kept his mind from stewing on Marinette because he really didn’t feel like crying. 

Rena on the other hand wanted to think about Marinette. She kept feeling guilty because every time she tried to think about Marinette - her courageous spirt, her willingness to sacrifice herself - her mind kept drifting to the moment when Nino screamed her civilian name. They all knew she was Alya now. Her identity was at extreme risk. She knew how important it was to keep your identity secret, Ladybug couldn’t stress it to them enough. That’s why, she figured, Queen Bee didn’t go on as many missions as Carapace and her did. And so now she fretted her miraculous would be taken away from her for good. She couldn’t blame Nino for it, she loved him too much and she supposed it was the only way to get her to snap out of her stunned state. But she just felt sick in the stomach about what Ladybug was going to say once she found out Queen Bee and Chat Noir had found out her identity. 

Carapace felt sick to. Marinette was like a younger sister to him. He was her older brother and had to protect her, it was his duty. When he first saw the murderer hunched over the small, curled up body, he was filled with rage. He wanted nothing more than to give that guy a piece of his mind, and fist. How it hurt him seeing her there. He didn’t protect her — he couldn’t, he wasn’t on the ground fast enough. And then when the murderer was finally stopped, no one did anything. He was shocked that no one took action after saying that they’d all protect Marinette no matter what. He didn’t want to be angry at his teammates, but he just couldn’t help it. Marinette was in the hospital because of their petty arguing, and it made him sick in the stomach. 

Queen Bee was trying to focus on finding Ladybug and organising what they would say to her and the press. But she couldn’t get past three thoughts without seeing Marinette’s ghostly white face, blood trickling from her lip, as Chat Noir rushed her past on the way to the hospital. She was so white. So sickly. So fragile. So broken. And she let it happen. She was the one who convinced everyone to not go in to save Marinette. She kept them all distracted with her arguing, trying to make Ladybug proud at her organisation and ability to look past her emotions. But it ended up leaving her to blame for that pale, deathly face. Why did suddenly Marinette mean so much to her? 

The sound of the school bell rang faintly, but it was easily heard in their silence. They all looked up, tiredly. 

“What time is it?” Carapace whispered to Rena. 

After glancing at her empty wrist, she shrugged. 

“That’s end of period 5. We have one more lesson.” Queen Bee said looking at Rena and Carapace as she began to get up. “Chat why don’t you try and find Ladybug. Marinette goes to this school and so do we, we need to explain to the teachers what happened.” 

Chat sat still, staring at the ground as the others rose around him. 

“Chat!” Chloe shouted, her transformation dropping. 

“Hmm?” He looked up startled. 

“Did you hear what I said?” She walked over to him. 

“Ah.” He swallowed. “No, sorry.” 

Chloe sighed. “You need to find Ladybug, we’re going to class.” 

“R-right.” Chat nodded. 

Chloe handed him her miraculous. Rena and Carapace shared glances, wondering if they were to de-transform as well. 

“No, y-you guys should keep it, at least until Ladybug comes back. I wouldn’t know what to do with them.” Chat pushed her hand away softly. 

Chloe nodded and tucked the miraculous behind her ponytail. “Should we meet up tonight?” She asked as the three began to leave. 

“Yeah, sure.” Chat Noir practically whispered. 

“Remember, you have to find Ladybug.” Chloe said as the door to the boiler room shut. 

The loud bang motivated Chat enough to stand to his feet. As much as he didn’t want to, he had to find Ladybug. At least a mission was better than moping around his room. He didn’t want to think about his class mates going back to class, he just wouldn’t understand it. Wait...his classmates? Chloe had said they were all going back to class, all. That meant, no, but it, no he shouldn’t think about it, but then again Carapace knew Rena’s identity, no, he shouldn’t do this, but it wasn’t his fault if he knew. Rena was Alya. Carapace knew that, he screamed it. Chloe had figured out who they both were, so he supposed it wasn’t to hard. But he shouldn’t, it wasn’t right. But Carapace did look a bit like Nino, and who else would Alya confine in but her boyfriend? No stop it Chat Noir.  
Rena was Alya. Carapace was Nino. Queen Bee was Chloe. Marinette was dying. And he had to find Ladybug


	6. Ladybug’s Fault

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What’s left of the team plays the blame game as Chat Noir looks for Ladybug.   
> Should Master Fu just tell Adrien that Marinette is Ladybug?

Alya and Nino de-transformed in the empty locker room, well, Chloe was there. 

“So Ladybug seriously chose you two.” Chloe remarked as they stepped out, trying to hide their miraculous as she had. 

“At least we didn’t steal them.” Alya snarked back. 

“Stop it, both of you, Marinette is hurt, bad, because of us, because we didn’t work as a team, so shut up and help me make up a cover story to tell Miss Bustier.” 

The two girls went quiet in shame. 

———

Alya and Nino walked into the murmuring room, hand in hand. 

“Alya! Nino! Where on earth have you two been? And where is Marinette and Adrien?” Mlle Bustier cried as she ushered the two teens into the classroom. The class went silent. 

Alya sniffed. “Miss Bustier, we need to tell you something.” She mumbled so only Mlle Bustier could hear. The angry teacher’s expression turned into a sour worry. 

At that moment, Chloe bursted through the door. “Madam!” She cried. But stopped upon seeing Alya and Nino.   
“Have you told her?” She whispered confused. They really needed to work on their communication. 

The two shook their heads. 

Chloe released a breath. 

Mlle Bustier looked around confused. “Tell me what?” She demanded. 

“Can we speak to you in private miss?” Chloe stepped into the doorway. 

Mlle Bustier nodded, concern making her stomach churn. She followed Chloe out into the hallway. Alya and Nino followed. Leaving the class unsupervised and with much to whisper about. 

“What is it, what’s happened, what’s wrong?” Mlle Bustier bursted out as soon as the door was shut. 

Chloe took a deep breath. “Please madam, what I am about to tell you is not yet public knowledge, but-“ 

“But we thought it best you know since we were involved.” Alya interrupted Chloe. “Well I mean, Nino and I saw it, we didn’t actually-“ 

“As I was saying,” Chloe swallowed. “I, Queen Bee, assisted in that take down of the Dark Hood this afternoon.” She stated professionally. But then her head began to hang in shame. “Unfortunately Marinette also helped us, but she’s been badly hurt.” 

Mlle Bustier gasped, covering her mouth with her hands. 

“Alya and I saw the whole thing, we were at the Dupain-Cheng bakery.” Nino added solemnly, making sure she didn’t suspect their identities as superheroes. 

“Oh my goodness, is she alright, do her parents know?” Mlle Bustier sniffed. 

“Chat Noir took her to the hospital, but she looked like she’d lost a lot of blood.” Alya explained. 

“Oh come here.” Mlle Bustier pulled her three students in for a comforting hug. “You are too young to see such violence, it must be awful.” 

Alya couldn’t help but cry. She didn’t know how much she needed a hug until now. She had seen her friend beaten to near death, that image was going to be imprinted in her memory for the rest of her life. 

Chloe let out a sob too. Mlle Bustier sure knew how to give good hugs.   
She had tried so hard to be the strong one in the group. The leader that knew the sensible thing to do while the others were numb with shock and couldn’t think. But Marinette, though she thought little of her, was still a person she saw nearly everyday. A person who had been in her class for years. No matter how much she despised the girl, it pained her to see her so lifeless. And no matter how much she didn’t want to admit it, she was scared. 

Nino, though he didn’t cry, may have bit his lip and swallowed a lump in his throat as his eyes watered. He missed Marinette. 

The hug ended, girls all sniffing and wiping away tears, Nino may have also wiped his eyes. 

“Chloe can I leave it to you and Ladybug and Chat Noir to tell Marinette’s family, or should I have the school contact them?” Mlle Bustier offered. 

“It’s ok, it’s our duty.” She sniffed with a smile. 

“Alright. Now I’m going to call all of your parents, you need some support, so please go home and talk with them. I’m sure the school councillor will see you tomorrow. But please stay safe, it’s been a big day.” Mlle Bustier patted them on the back before walking them to the nurses office where they could get picked up. 

“So who’s going to tell Marinette’s parents?” Nino asked as the three sat in the empty room. 

“I think Ladybug should.” Chloe scowled. 

Alya looked up, shocked. “But she wasn’t even there!” 

“Exactly. It was her idea to ask Marinette to lure out the murderer, and she did say if Marinette were to get hurt, it’d be completely on her. So I think it’s only fair that she tells them.” Chloe folded her arms. After she thought about it more, it seemed more logical for Ladybug to take the blame for the haunting image of Marinette in her mind. 

Alya stared at her confused. Wasn’t Chloe the one who supported Ladybug in her decision to use Marinette as bait? And wasn’t Chloe the one who prevented her from saving her friend? Sure Ladybug had suggested it, but if she was there, Marinette probably wouldn’t have gotten hurt. So as she saw it, Chloe should have to tell Mr and Mrs Dupain-Cheng. 

“Why don’t you do it Chloe? As far as I can tell, you were the one who stopped us from saving Marinette.” Alya snapped. 

Chloe scoffed. “How dare you! Marinette getting hurt was not in any way my fault. It was Ladybug’s idea. And if you had just listened to me and followed my instructions, we would’ve had a chance at stopping the murder with Marinette not getting hurt.” 

“Well I’m sorry, I thought Ladybug was our leader, not you. If Ladybug was there, Marinette would be safe with us right now.” 

“News flash! Ladybug wasn’t there, so we had no leader, I’m sorry for trying to organise the team cause no one else seemed to be doing it.” 

“Organise!? All you did was start arguments! And from what I could tell, you were the only one who didn’t want to save Marinette as soon as possible.” 

“No one knew she needed saving! I was trying to follow the plan that we had made! It’s what Ladybug would’ve done, and it’s what we all agreed on, even you, so you can shut your mouth and stop blaming me for something I didn’t do.” 

Alya shook her head, narrowing her gaze. “You little-“ 

Nino was sorry he ever opened his mouth.   
“Enough!” Nino shouted over the top of their arguing. “It’s no one’s fault ok! No one is to blame for this. Now both of you just calm down and accept the fact that Marinette is injured, there’s nothing we can do about it. What’s happened, happened. We can’t change it. So just stop blaming each other.” 

“Sorry.” Alya mumbled after regaining her composure post her boyfriend’s outburst. 

“Sorry.” Chloe turned. 

Just then, they were interrupted by a flustered teacher rushing into the room. 

“Was Adrien with you?” Mlle Bustier asked. 

They all looked at each other confused. 

“Was Adrien there, when the heroes caught the murderer, was Adrien with you guys?” She sighed, catching her breath. 

The confused faces just shook their heads. 

Why did she think Adrien was with them? Wasn’t he in class? 

“Actually, he did over hear us, well Marinette and Chloe, talking about how they were going to lure out the murderer.” Alya spoke up hesitantly. “Maybe he got scared and went home?” She suggested. 

“So he wasn’t with you guys?” Mlle Bustier asked in defeat. 

“Not that we know of.”   
They all shook their heads. 

Mlle Bustier sighed again. “Well he hasn’t been in class, so I hope he’s ok. He’s probably gone home, I hope. Thank you.” The worried teacher hurried off.

“Where is Adrien?” Nino asked the girls in confusion. 

“I went off to transform and completely forgot he was at our table.” Chloe confessed. 

“Same.” “Same.” 

“I wonder where he is, you sure you didn’t see him during the battle?” Chloe asked. 

The two shook their heads. 

They sighed, not wanting to think about the battle. 

“Well he probably went home.” Nino deduced, really just wanting an answer so they didn’t have to think about it. Though, it did beat thinking about Marinette in hospital. 

The three, having parents who were busy at work or caught in traffic, decided to wait until the rain calmed down enough to walk home. 

———

Chat Noir left the school building and headed out into the slowly dying storm.   
Reaching the Eiffel town, Chat remembered that he had no clue as to where he should look for Ladybug. So he called her. Several times he tried, but nothing. His mind was empty as he stared blankly at the dialling screen. He began to get cold up there on the metal beams, so he vaulted himself away and towards his house, at least then he’d be warm. 

But as soon as he reached the mansion, he dropped his transformation in defeat and collapsed dramatically onto his bed. 

“Finally!” Plagg screamed, interrupting Adrien’s sigh of defeat. 

“What.” He grumbled into his pillow, rolling over to face the angry kwami. 

“We need to see Master Fu right now!” 

“Who?” 

“Ugh, you know the guy who gave you that special camembert that gives Chat Noir special powers?” 

“...yeah?”

“Yeah, him. We need to see him, now!” 

“W-why?” 

Plagg paused for a moment. “He will know where Ladybug is.”

“...right.” Adrien was still unsure. 

“Just, go to this address and- ahhcoo!” Plagg sniffed. “And tell him it’s an emergency.” 

Adrien picked up the address with a sigh. “Why should I even try and look for Ladybug, I mean it’s not like we need her now, the murderer’s behind bars and Paris is safe once again.”

Plagg, face full of cheese, flew over quickly to his wilder’s side. He gulped.   
“Ladybug and Chat Noir are a team remember, you can’t work well without her. Plus, you need her to purify akumas.” He stated, arms folded. 

Adrien rolled his eyes. “Then why wasn’t she there!?” He bursted. 

Plagg was taken back. 

“Why wasn’t she there Plagg? Why didn’t she help us? Marinette could still be here if she had of been there. But she wasn’t. She didn’t see the pale blood-stained face. She didn’t see the blood that poured out from her body. She didn’t see anything. She wasn’t there.” 

Plagg closed his eyes and bit his lip. This wasn’t good. He couldn’t hate Ladybug for not being there. Because she was very much there. And she may not have seen the bloody wounds, but she felt them. He felt so incredibly bad for Marinette. He couldn’t imagine how hard it was for her to make that decision to sacrifice herself. 

“It was Ladybug’s idea to use Marinette as the bait. Ugh I knew I shouldn’t have even talked to her! Ladybug probably talked to her anyway, she really wanted that murderer gone. But the price was too high! I can’t believe her, that’s not Ladybug. I don’t understand how she could just let something like that happen, and then not even be around when it does! She just-“

“Adrien stop!” Plagg interjected. “Stop blaming Ladybug. I know it doesn’t make sense now, but it will someday, just please, stop.” 

Adrien was baffled by Plagg’s request. Why did he care? What did he mean by ‘someday’ and things not making sense? 

“Can we just go to Master Fu’s now?” Plagg asked nicely. 

“Sure.” Adrien agreed, fed up with the whole situation. 

———

“Chat Noir, I’m glad you have come, I sense something terrible has happened. Quickly, come in.” 

Adrien was greeted at the door of the random address Plagg had given him. He stood there, shocked for a little while as the man had called him by his superhero name. Plagg had to nudge him for him to follow the small Chinese man inside. 

“Please sit, tea?” Master Fun gestured to a mat on the ground as he walked over to his teapot. 

“No, thank you. I um, Plagg said you might be able to help with something.” Adrien was hesitant. 

Master Fu nodded as if to assure Adrien it was ok. 

“Well you see, we haven’t been able to contact Ladybug. I mean it wouldn’t normally be that big a deal really, it’s just, well see, we - me and the other heroes, we arrested the Dark Hood this afternoon and...” Adrien let out a breath. “Well someone got hurt. Someone who shouldn’t have gotten hurt if Ladybug was there and if she hadn’t suggested we involve a civilian in the first place!” Adrien cried out on the verge of tears. 

“Please Chat Noir calm down, what do you mean someone got hurt? And shouldn’t we be happy — you’ve saved Paris from more murders!” 

Adrien turned away bitterly. “Today was anything but successful.” 

“Ah, Master, can I talk to you, privately?” Plagg interjected, a little late. 

“Yes, please come.” Master Fu guided the kwami to a closet attached to the room. 

Adrien looked around confused, but sat silently as his kwami and Master...talked? He honestly had no idea what they were talking about, probably special miraculous stuff. 

“Master!” Plagg cried urgently. “It’s Ladybug, the one who got hurt! She was the civilian who helped and she’s badly hurt. No one knows it was her Master, they’re all blaming Ladybug for not being there! You need to tell them, what’s going to happen when there’s an akuma?” 

Master Fu let out a breath as he caught up with Plagg’s fast pace. “No, their identities must remain secret to protect them-“

“But Master it doesn’t always work like that, if they had known she was Ladybug they would’ve-“

“If they had known then that risks others finding out, perhaps Hawkmoth.” 

“But Ladybug she’s-“ Plagg sighed. “She’s hurt real bad.” He sniffed. 

Master Fu took in a deep breath. “Don’t worry Plagg. Right now, we must ensure Adrien knows everything’s ok. I’m going to work on making a healing tea, but I’m going to need your help. I can’t get several of the ingredients, but I trust you can without drawing suspicion from Adrien.” 

“Sure. But can’t I just tell him, it won’t be bad if only he knows-“

“No! Their identities must remain secret. Marinette is extremely vulnerable, she can’t protect herself.” Master Fu interrupted Plagg’s plea. 

“But Adrien can. If he knows.” 

Master Fu shook his head. “This is what’s best for both of them. I’m just trying to protect them from what could be!” 

Plagg was silent — not wanting to give in but not wanting to fight either. 

He phased out of the room. Master Fu followed him by opening the door. 

“Ladybug is alright.” Master Fu went to sit back down.   
Plagg bit his tongue at the lie. 

“H-how do you know, where is she then?” Adrien looked up from the floor. 

“She’s away on a mission. But she’ll be back soon hopefully.” Master Fu crossed his legs and reached for his tea. 

“Then why didn’t she tell us she was going! She knew we had planned this all together, why did she abandon us?!” Adrien cried out in pain. Plagg gave Master Fu a smug look. 

Master Fu glanced around nervous. “I-I, s-see, she’s well. Well she-“ a Master Fu sighed and hung his head in shame. “Ladybug is not alright. She’s... going through some things. She’s extremely unwell Chat Noir. And it wasn’t something she could control. I’m sure she’s sorry she let you down but- but you have to understand, she couldn’t have done anything more than what she did.” 

Adrien felt his heart break. Ladybug was sick? His Lady. That would explain why she had been acting so weird lately. But now he felt incredibly guilty for thinking such bad things of her. And to think, he actually began to dislike her! But it wasn’t her fault she had said some things. And it wasn’t her fault she wasn’t there. She probably had an awful disease that made her do unnatural things. 

“What’s wrong with her?” Adrien asked, intrigued. 

Master Fu’s eyes widened. What should he say?   
“It’s ah-“ he glanced over to Plagg, he just shook his head. “I’m not entirely sure. I haven’t seen anything like it before, but, but don’t worry, I’m making a cure.” Master Fu smiled nervously. 

“Well is there anything I can do?” 

“Ah well n-no, not now at least, but I’ll be sure to tell you if there is.” 

Adrien nodded, moving to stand up.

“Wait, Adrien I- who was it who helped you capture the murderer?” Master Fu quickly stopped him. 

“Chloe, Alya, and Nino.” He said plainly. “I-I mean-“ Adrien cursed under his breath. 

Master Fu smiled. “It’s ok, I know who they are. I just wanted to know who helped you. And one last thing, could you not tell the press about Ladybug. Just say that she was out on a mission or something like that, it’s what’s best.” 

Adrien nodded again. Plagg zipped into his shirt and off they went, back to the mansion and out of the rain. 

———

Tikki zipped away out of sight. No one could know she existed. If the Dark Hood as much as caught a glance of her, the plan could be ruined. Oh how she wanted to transform Marinette. But they both agreed it would be best to keep the earrings in her locker. Tikki wanted to help, she really did, but it was best if she left the scene. It took all her might to fly through the pouring rain, back into Marinette’s locker as they planed. She just hoped Marinette was soon to follow. 

But as she listened for the sound of the locker opening, she grew more worrisome that she had made the wrong decision by leaving Marinette to fend for herself. 

She trusts her friends to look after her. They’ll protect her. She’s probably just catching her breath is all. They’ll be back soon. Maybe she’s getting lunch and hasn’t had time to come back. 

The sound of a bell interrupted her thoughts. She sat in the dark locker as the room filled with chatter and the creaky openings of lockers. But all the noise soon faded and she was once again left in silence. That was until the next bell, and the next, and the next, until Tikki glanced down at Marinette’s phone as a message came through. 

Maman: Would you mind coming straight home to help out down stairs? All this rain has brought in a lot of costumers. 

Another bell sounded. Tikki realises it was home time. Her stomach was in tight knots. But she had managed to convince herself, through repetition, that everything was fine. But doubt still leaked in from the less convincing part of her mind. That was until she felt that Plagg was close by.


	7. The News is Broken

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Where are Chat Noir and Ladybug? Why have they left Alya, Nino, and Chloe to clean up their mess?  
> Adrien has a long talk with a caring heart while Plagg finds Tikki.

As the rain poured down in heavy buckets outside, Sabine and Tom tried to keep everyone warm and dry, huddled inside the small bakery. The room was lively despite the dismal sight outside. There was no chance a shriek could be heard from a block away. And the fog was too dense to see Paris’s heroes rushing around across the street. School had not yet finished, so there was no reason to panic over the daughter’s absence, though she was currently hanging onto the last bit of life she had left.   
Eventually the rain calmed down and costumers braved the outside, rushing to the subway. The bakery was as empty as it was full come home time. Sabine sighed as she had just sent Marinette a message telling her how full they were. So she deleted it and went back downstairs to clean up after a busy day. 

She watched as Alya and Nino crossed the road holding hands, hunched under an umbrella. ‘What a cute couple.’ She sighed to herself. She didn’t pay an attention to Chloe behind them getting drenched.   
“Tom, I’m just going to grab a jumper, are you right down here?” Sabine called to her husband, putting down her broom.   
“Oh, I can turn the heater on, it is cooling down.”   
“No, it’s alright, I was going to check if Marinette snuck in the back door anyway.” Sabine smiled and headed upstairs to the apartment. 

———

Outside, Alya and Nino turned into an alley to transform. Chloe soon followed. 

“So we all agreed, we’ll all tell them?” Rena Rouge confirmed, walking around to the unit entrance of the building. Queen Bee and Carapace nodded. 

“Ok, so if we go in, knock, and then maybe tell her to sit down. Tell her what happened, we can take the blame for now-”

“But Ladybug, she-“

“I know, but we can’t get into that. We need to be considerate of her parent’s feelings and they probably don’t want to hear what a complete mess our team is.” 

“Fine.” Queen Bee huffed. “But what do we say then?” 

“Just be like, hey, so your awesome daughter offered to help us-“

“No she didn’t! Chat Noir asked her.” Rena bursted, interrupting Carapace. 

“Both Ladybug and Chat Noir are to blame, I still don’t see why we have to do this.” 

“Because both of them have fallen off the planet ok. We’re the only ones. You can give it to both of them the next time we see them which could be who knows when. But right now, we’re the only heroes Paris has and the duty of telling Marinette’s parent therefore falls on our shoulders.” 

“Yeah Chloe, a superhero’s work isn’t always fun.”

“I never said I wanted it to be fun, I just said this shouldn’t be our job.”

“Well then who’s going to explain to Mr and Mrs Dupain-Cheng why their girl isn’t home yet?” 

Chloe was silent. 

“I get it Chloe, we’re all mad at Ladybug and Chat Noir, but right now, there are more important things we need to worry about.” 

“I know. I’m sorry I guess.” Chloe muttered. 

The group realised they had reached Marinette’s door. They stood, staring. 

Nino reached up to knock. “Ready?” 

The girls nodded.   
———

As Sabine unlocked the door to the house, she could hear a faint ringing. Taking her apron off, she casually walked over to the home phone. 

She never expected to hear the cold words that came through at the end of the line. 

———

Carapace knocked again, but no answer. 

“They’re probably downstairs.” Rena turned to go back down to the bakery, but Queen Bee grabbed her shoulder. 

“No wait,” everyone listened silently. 

“Oh, oh my, n-no, no that c-can’t be!” A pain-filled mourn came from behind the door. 

A light bulb went off in Carapace‘ head. “The hospital! They would’ve told the parents by now that Marinette had been emitted.” He deduced. 

“Sounds like they only just found out.” Chloe stepped back from pressing her ear against the door. 

It was a good thing she did to, because the next second, Sabine came bolting out the door, tears staining her cheeks. 

“W-what?” She sniffed, running into the heroes eves-dropping at her door. 

“Uh, well we, sorry Mrs Cheng-“

“N-not now kids, I have to go.” Sabine pushed her way down the hall to the stairs. 

“Tom!” She sobbed. “Oh my. Oh no.” She mumbled to herself. 

The heroes followed her down the stairs. 

Tom came and met her at the bottom of the stairs. 

“Honey, honey calm down, what’s the matter?” 

“It’s Marinette! She’s at the hospital, Chat Noir brought her in. Oh Tom, she’s hurt, our baby!” Sabine buried her face in her husband’s dirty apron. 

Tom patted her back as he let her words sink in. 

“Let’s go. We have to go now.” He began to usher her outside to their car. 

“B-but the b-bakery-“

“We’ll handle it.” Rena Rouge spoke up. “Hurry.” She whispered at Sabine. 

The couple nodded a thanks and quickly left. 

“I wish we could go with them. I want to see if Marinette’s ok.” Rena put on an apron. 

“Well we could’ve if you hadn’t offered we watch the store.” Chloe had de-transformed and followed Rena’s lead. 

“We could take shifts. One of us watches the bakery for an hour while the others go and sees Marinette.” Carapace suggested. 

“Or we could all go. There’s no costumers.” Chloe gestured to the empty store. 

“Chloe, we have-“ 

“I’m with Chloe Alya, the store’s set to close in an hour. What harm could shutting early cause?” 

“Guys, this isn’t our store to run and decide when it shuts. We’ve already messed up big time today, I’m not screwing this up as well.” Alya folded her arms. 

“Babe please, we did what we could. Now let’s see if she’s ok.” 

“Go ahead. I’ll catch up in an hour.” 

“Ugh, you’re so selfish, making us all stay here watch the store.” Chloe huffed, sitting herself on a crate. 

“Chloe, I said you could-“ Rena stared her down, confused and angry. 

“Yeah but I don’t want to look like the bad guy not helping you, so thanks for nothing.” 

Rena smiled at Chloe’s softening heart. 

———

Adrien was furious. Plagg wasn’t telling him anything. Twice he had threatened to remove his ring, and twice he snapped back into reality and had to splash his face with water. It was nearly four in the afternoon, but it felt much later. 

“How about we watch a movie? I’ll get the cheese and popcorn and-“

“I’d rather not.” Adrien grumbled in his pillow. 

“Suit yourself.” Plagg flew off and turned the tv on. He thought maybe Adrien would get sucked in and end up watching it anyway. 

But he never got the chance to find out if his plan at distracting the boy worked because a harsh knock on the door quickly evaporated him. 

Adrien groaned permission for entry. 

“Adrien, your father wants to see you.” Natalie spoke professionally before noticing the boy curled up on his bed. 

“Adrien are you ok?” She cautiously approached him. 

There was another muffled noise. 

She gently touched his back. 

He flinched. “I don’t want to see father right now.” He bit back. 

“Adrien what’s the matter? Are you sick, should I call a doctor?” 

“No.” He grumbled. 

“Then what’s the matter?”

He was silent. What was he supposed to say? It wasn’t like he could tell her anyway, though he might’ve wanted to tell somebody at least. 

“I’ll tell your father you’re not feeling well.” Natalie nearly whispered. 

The door shutting made Adrien’s heart sink. He really wanted to talk. But how could he say, well, everything. He wanted to tell someone about Ladybug, he wanted to ask for their advice. He wanted to tell someone what he saw, what he felt in that moment when Marinette’s crying eyes looked up him, when he saw her pale face. He wanted to see if Marinette was ok. 

Plagg came back out of hiding. 

“After the rain dies down, we should go get your school bag before the school closes.” 

Adrien just stared at him, his eyes puffy and red. 

But he eventually gave in. “Fine.” He chocked. 

———

Chat Noir de-transformed on the outside wall of the locker room. There, he waited patiently for his moment to break in. Even though he really didn’t want to be around people, especially people that reminded him of Marinette, being out of the house and stalking around helped him a little. It kept his busy mind off his troublesome thoughts. 

Then he saw it — his chance to grab his bag. 

Opening the window as quick as he could, Adrien threw himself into the empty locker room. 

Plagg followed him, an awkward feeling in his stomach. 

Adrien unlocked his locker and grabbed his bag. 

“Quick, lets go Plagg. Plagg?” Adrien’s head swung around, eyes darting around the room. 

“Plagg?!” He whisper-yelled. 

Shutting his locker, Adrien walked around to the next row of lockers.   
He could’ve sworn he saw a black and red blob out of the corner of his eye. 

“Adrien? Where were you this afternoon?” Mlle Bustier caught him in the act. 

Adrien nearly dropped his bag. 

“I ahh, well I-“ He fumbled. 

Her kind, caring smile reminded him of Marinette. He couldn’t hold it in. 

Mlle Bustier was a little taken back as the teen began to burst into tears on her shoulder. 

“Shh, shh, it’s ok.” She rubbed his shaking back, not knowing exactly what had caused his pain, but suspecting it had something to do with what Alya, Nino, and Chloe told her earlier. 

“It’s ok, I bet Marinette is just fine. She’s a brave young woman. It’s okay, she’ll be ok.” Mlle Bustier whispered soothingly. 

Adrien stopped shaking. How did she know? How did she know why he was crying? How did she know what to say? How did she know what he needed to hear? How did she know? 

Plagg watched his wilder crumble at his teacher’s kind heart and he took the chance to follow the strange stirring in his stomach, and no, he wasn’t hungry. 

Tikki grabbed his eye as she phased out of Marinette’s locker. 

“Plagg? What are you doing? Where’s Marinette?” She asked innocently. 

Plagg’s heart sunk. She didn’t know. 

“M-Marinette is, well, Tikki, she’s in hospital.” Plagg slowly broke the news, watching Tikki’s bright face turn dull. 

“W-what?”

“She’s hurt Tikki, real bad.” Plagg lowered his voice and flew closer to her. “But Chat Noir brought her to the hospital as quick as he could, I’m sure she’s fine.” 

“S-So the plan failed? We lost?” 

“No. We got the bad guy. But Marinette got hurt.” 

“I’m sure she’s fine.” Tikki told herself. “But how am I going to get to her? She needs me! What if there’s an akuma?” 

“W-well, I talked to the guardian, b-but I was too focused on trying to get him to reveal Ladybug’s identity.” Plagg confessed. 

“Plagg! The more people that know her identity, the more danger she is put in. And with Marinette in hospital she can’t protect herself.”

“I know I know, but you should’ve heard them all. They all blame Ladybug for what happened.” 

Tikki was silent as she thought. It was Marinette’s fault for suggesting herself as the bait, but it was their best chance. She then thought about Marinette in hospital — how helpless she was. She didn’t need her friends criticising her decisions. 

“Marinette needs to get better before her friends should see her.” 

Plagg nodded in support. “We should go, come with us back to Adrien's and we can piece together a story for you to stay with us. You can go to Marinette as soon as Adrien visits her at hospital when she’s allowed visitors.” 

“Ok. But the earrings, she needs-“

“She’ll have to wait, we can see the guardian tonight. Take them with you.” 

———

After a long yet brief talk with Mlle Bustier, Adrien set off for home. He was able to tell her about how he cared for Marinette, how he saw the heroes not helping her and how it made him angry (he expressed his anger against his team). She was able to calm him down and talk him through it. Plagg was glad that that job was finally off his back. 

Tikki followed Adrien and Plagg in Chat Noir form back to the mansion. Once Adrien’s transformation was dropped, Tikki flew out to meet Plagg. 

Adrien conveniently went to take a shower, leaving the kwamis to devise a believable story. 

“Looks like we have the room to ourselves sugar cube.” Plagg cooed 

“Plagg this is serious! Now what did master tell you?” Tikki quickly rejected his advances. 

Plagg rolled his eyes. “He doesn’t want them to reveal their identities, I know.” 

It was Tikki’s turn to roll her eyes. “No, I mean what does Adrien think, we need an explanation for why I’m here.”

“Oh,” Plagg snapped out of his sulk, “well Master told him that Ladybug was sick.” 

“Sick? How sick, what kind of sickness? Where does he think she is?” Tikki bursted our questions. 

“Uhhh, well, um, why don’t we just ask Master, we can go tonight.” Plagg suggested. 

“But Adrien will be done any minute, I can’t wait that long, I need to see Marinette!” Tikki cried. 

“Hey, it’s ok, she’s ok. She’s Ladybug remember, I’m sure she’s fine.” Plagg tried to comfort. 

“Fine’s not good enough Plagg, how badly was she hurt?” 

“She’s in hospital Tikki, they’re looking after her there.” 

“Plagg I need to know if she’s going to die or not.” Tikki stated blankly. “I can’t lose more Ladybug’s, especially not Marinette.”

“Tikki come on, you know having your wilder die comes with the job.” 

“That doesn’t mean it’s not hard!” She snapped at his lack of compassion. “Remember Felix?” 

“Don’t you dare!” Plagg screamed in anger. “He’s not dead!”

“It was over a century ago Plagg, you have to accept that-“

“No, no this is not what we were talking about. You’re still here which means she’s still alive ok, she’s fine, just fine ok.” Plagg flew off angrily. 

Tikki decided against following him. Instead she went over to the window to gaze at the gloomy weather. That is, until Adrien saw her. 

“Tikki?” His voice choked. 

Tikki spun around quickly. “Ahh, hi Adrien.” 

“W-what, what are you doing here? Where’s Ladybug?!” He cried, approaching the nervous kwami. 

“Well ah, she is ah-“

“Tikki’s here because Ladybug is trying to recover. She is too weak to protect herself and the earrings, so Tikki and the earrings will stay here with us for a while.” Plagg interjected calmly. 

Tikki gave him a smile of thanks. 

Adrien looked around distressed. “But isn’t it more dangerous that both the ring and earrings are in the same place?”

“That’s why Tikki will go back to Ladybug as soon as she can.” 

Adrien let his new house guest sink in. “Ok well, um, are you hungry? Do u like cheese?” 

“Anything is fine, I’m really sorry to impose like this, I hope it’s not too much trouble.” Tikki chirped politely. 

Adrien shook his head with a weak smile, still a bit confused. 

———

Later that night, Tikki and Plagg made their way to Master Fu’s house, having left a restless Adrien with two socks tucked into bed. It wasn’t the best idea to leave Adrien alone when he was so distraught, but they had no choice. It was very early morning, so he was bound to fall asleep sometime, but he had been tossing and turning when they left. Tikki felt bad, but Plagg was able to talk her into it, saying how important it was that they saw the guardian. 

“Tikki! Plagg! Do your owners know where you are?” Master Fu cried as the kwamis had woken him up. 

“No master, but we needed to talk to you in private.” Tikki flew around him as an attempt to help him up. 

“It’s about Marinette,” Plagg started, “see, she left the earrings in her locker in case the murder did get them. So when I found Tikki at the school, I said she could stay with us, so the earrings are now hidden in Adrien’s room.” 

“With the ring! They’re in the same place?! Plagg, do you know how dangerous that is!” Master Fu cried. 

“Of course Master, but that’s why we’re here. What do we do?” 

Master Fu sighed deeply to calm himself down. Clearly the situation was more complicated than he originally thought. 

“I will return the earrings to Marinette in hospital as soon as she’s allowed visitors. But in the mean time, Tikki, you will stay here with me. It’s too dangerous for the Miraculous to be together, with Ladybug unable to wield her Miraculous and Chat Noir in a bad mind state.”

“But Master, what if there’s an akuma?” Tikki asked. 

“We better hope there isn’t any before I can return the Miraculous.” Fu sighed. “But if I finish this tea, I’ll be able to give it to Marinette, and with the help of the Ladybug Miraculous, she will be strong enough for a single battle. But as soon as she does her Miraculous Ladybug, she will begin to weaken. At that point, Tikki, you will need to keep her alive long enough for her to somehow get back to hospital.” 

Tikki looked at her Master worried. “But Master, the last Ladybug you tried that technique with took longer to heal properly, they basically lived on that tea.” 

“I know. But I’ve perfected the recipe since then. And Marinette is strong. I know it’s dangerous, but it’s the only choice we have, you both know how hard it is to battle an akuma with a different Ladybug or Chat Noir. Marinette should be the only one to wield the Ladybug Miraculous.” 

“You know Chat Noir will probably find out Master, Marinette can’t protect her identity if she’s ill.” Plagg said broodingly. 

“The longer they don’t know, the safer they’ll be.” Fu quickly stated. 

Plagg rolled his eyes. 

“Come on Plagg, lets go get the earrings.” Tikki pulled the black kwami away. 

“Be careful.” Master Fu warned as they flew out the window. “Be careful.” He whispered.


	8. There’s a Storm a-Brewin’

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our heroes arise to a glowing sun spurting rays of sunshine and happiness. They themselves, however, are really really dark grey clouds about to burst.   
> Who knows what’s going on by this point.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not quite sure on how Rena Rouge’s powers work, but I figure, it’s all up to the imagination

The sun dawned on the new fresh day. Morning dew reflected the sun’s glorious rays as birds sung songs of joy and happiness. There was not a cloud in the sky and everyone seemed to be in a good mood. It was just one of those days. 

Adrien scoffed at the bright sun that woke him up, and grumbled back to sleep. 

Nino had secretly stayed over at Alya’s to keep her company all night. They had talked about Ladybug and Marinette and Chloe and Chat Noir. Both did feel a little better, but as the sun peered in the window, neither of them felt like facing the day. 

Chloe had taken sleeping pills to get to sleep after the traumatic day but had a restless night nonetheless. She too did not wish to wake up that fine morning. But a small voice in the back of her head said: “Ladybug would get up and face her problems. Ladybug wouldn’t sulk in her bed all day. Ladybug would-“ but her thoughts were stopped as she sneered at the absent hero. “Ladybug wouldn’t abandon her team and make them do all the dirty work.”   
And with that, she demanded a sick day. 

———

“Good morning class.” Mlle Bustier greeted in a rather solemn tone. “As you may have noticed, a few students aren’t here today.”

Kim raised his hand. “That’s cause some roads are closed miss, cause of that storm.” He claimed knowingly. 

“Idiot, Marinette’s not here and she lives across the street.” Alix hit him over the head. 

“No, Marinette is not here because of the road blockages. I’m actually not allowed to explain exactly what happened as most of the information has not yet been released to the public, but- but Marinette is in hospital, she is in a stable condition, but she will be away for quite sometime.” 

The class filled with gasps and urgent chatter. 

“Is she ok miss?”  
“What happened?”  
“Why is she in hospital?”  
“Is that why Alya and Nino aren’t here?”  
“Yeah miss, what happened?”  
“Why can’t you tell us?”

“Class, please, calm down. Marinette is ok. As for the other’s absence, that’s student privacy. Now I wish I could tell you more, but until the police release more information, I’m afraid I can’t say anything.” Mlle Bustier sighed. 

“What do you think happened to her?” Maylèn turned to Rose and Juleka. 

“I don’t know, I hope she’s ok.” Rose was on the verge of tears. 

“It sounds serious if the police are involved-“

“Hay Sabrina, your dad’s a police officer, what happened?” Kim cried loudly across the classroom, interrupting everyone’s conversations. 

Now all eyes were on Sabrina. 

“Uh, well, I haven’t seen him since yesterday morning. He’s very busy at the moment.” She stated quietly. 

The room filled with mumbling again as they were handed new information. 

“Hey guys, I reckon she got hit by the murderer!” Alix deduced. 

Rose gasped. 

“Actually, according to the documentary we watched yesterday, Marinette does hold a similar appearance to the Dark Hood’s victims.” Max added. 

“Oh poor Marinette! How could someone do such a thing!” Rose cried and threw herself onto Juleka.   
Juleka patted her friend’s head as comfort. 

“Well he has killed several girls, at least Marinette is alive.” Maylèn tried to assure them. 

“But if Marinette was nearly killed, then why are Adrien, Alya, Nino, and Chloe missing?” Alix questioned. 

But before anyone could even put thought to the question, the bell rang for first class. 

How could the class concentrate in a time like this? They had just been informed that their friend was in hospital and there was a lot of allusion toward police involvement. Poor Mlle Bustier had a lot of trouble trying to get the class to concentrate in that double English lesson. 

———

“Miss Chloe, there are several reporters downstairs asking for an interview. Should I turn them away?” Chloe’s personal butler opened the door softly. 

Chloe, who was painting her nails at her vanity, sighed. “I guess they deserve to know.” She mumbled.   
“Tell them I’ll get all heroes assembled and we’ll answer questions this afternoon at the Effie Tower.”   
Butler Jean nodded and shut the door. 

Chloe leaned as far back as she could in her chair. Stroking her un-painted hand through her hair, she let out a deep breath. Her mind was empty. The room, soundless. She had to focus on being a strong superhero. The people needed answers, even if they couldn’t know everything. She needed to clear up exactly what happened before the media began to fill in the silence. Even if Ladybug wasn’t there yesterday, this could be her chance to prove herself. To prove to her team that she was a good, strong, confident leader that could admit when she was wrong and make it up to everyone she hurt. This was Ladybug’s chance to fix everything, Chloe thought. 

———

11:20  
Chloe: I’ve organised a press conference at the Eiffel Tower this afternoon. We need to make a statement and be prepared to answer questions. I say we meet up for lunch and we go over what we need and can say. 

“Hey babe, you just got a text from Chloe. Want me to read it?” Nino held up Alya’s phone. His head was resting on her stomach as she aimlessly watched her laptop perched on her desk, shoving her face with ice-cream. 

All he got was a grumble in reply as another spoonful of cookie-dough brownie swirl was licked off the spoon. 

So Nino proceeded to read out the message. 

“I guess she’s right, everyone should know that they’re safe.” Nino shrugged after Alya didn’t respond.   
“I mean we don’t have to tell them everything. Just a little.” Nino continued to fill the silence. 

But Alya just started blankly at her laptop as it began to play another random episode of Friends. 

“Alya!” Nino cried, pausing the video. 

Alya moaned and rolled over. 

“No, you can’t do that. We need to get out of this room and face the world. Marinette is fine!” Nino cried, standing over her. 

“You don’t know that!” Alya snapped back. “You didn’t watch that knife cut through the air in slow motion and stab her in the back! You didn’t see your best friend lifeless on the ground!” 

Nino spoke back softly. “No, I didn’t. But I did see my best friend in pain. She was shaking as she watched her best friend fall. There was pain in her eyes. I saw it.” He paused. “I’m sorry babe. I hate seeing you like this. And you have every right to feel awful, but you feeling bad makes me feel bad. And I know that sounds selfish, but I think we need to find the positive side to this.” Nino leant down and hugged her. 

But Alya threw him away. “The positive side?” She snarled. 

Nino stood pleadingly as Alya stormed out of the room.   
The slam of the door caused him to release a breath.   
Running his hands threw his hair, he flopped onto her bed, defeated.   
He had tried all night to reason with her, and failed miserably at it. He knew Marinette would want them think positively. She was in the hospital, she was being looked after. She was going to be ok, right? Why was Alya in such a low mood? 

———

Nino just didn’t get it. He didn’t get how much guilt was hanging off of Alya’s shoulders. How much she wanted a do-over of the whole of yesterday. How she had lost her best friend and felt that it was all her fault. 

Nino just didn’t get it. He was fine living as if the whole event never even happened. That’s the kind of person he was — willing to move on quickly so he didn’t have to feel bad. He didn’t respect her choice to stew on the event though. He wasn’t considerate of her feelings. He just didn’t get it. 

Of course Alya had much more aggressive thoughts towards Nino as she stomped down the stairs. But all anger aside, she was racked with guilt. A guilt that caused her to be angry at her boyfriend for not having any. 

Well maybe he had some. But she had more, making it impossible for him to understand her. 

Rena pounced to the top of the Eiffel Tower, her mood worsening as she was exposed to more and more happy people. 

A moment later, a storm washed over the city. Yesterday’s storm was a mere sprinkling to this one.   
Street lights flickered on, thunder cracked and shook buildings. Everyone ran inside as the storm continued to grow.   
Strangely enough, no rain had fallen. The streets echoed with silence as everyone waited for the down pour. 

A piecing scream rang throughout the city below as water bursted from the clouds. A tornado swirled around in the howling wind. Hail the size of basketballs smashed everything not covered. This wasn’t a storm, this was the end of the world. 

———

Nino ran to the window, the room becoming pitch black. He watched everyone run to cover on the streets below. Purely puzzled, he ran into the living room. With everyone either at work or play group, he was left in silence. 

Alya

Where had she gone? What should he do? Should he have chased after her? What if something bad happens to her? Where did the storm come from? 

Then came howling winds and thunder cracks as loud as explosions. He ran back to the window and saw a tornado a few blocks over. A tornado. 

As quick as he could, he sprinted down the apartment block stairs. As people crowded in the entry way, he pushed himself outside into the street. 

The storm past as quickly as it came. 

———

“Should I call a doctor Adrien?” 

“I’m fine Natalie.”

“If you’re feeling sick than your father advises you see a doctor.” 

“I’m not- It’s just- I’m not- I guess I’m just tired. Really Natalie, I don’t need a doctor. A day off, that’s all I need right now.” 

“Very well. I’ll postpone today’s activities and notify your father of your day off.” 

“Thank you Natalie.” 

Natalie nodded, excusing herself and leaving the boy’s room. 

Adrien let out the most heart throbbed sigh. He shut his eyes tight, not wanting to cry. He was sick of crying. His head and eyes hurt because of it. Another breath escaped him, this time it shook as he reigned in his emotions. 

“Adrien I-“ Plagg was immediately silenced by Adrien’s finger. 

Another shaking breath.   
Adrien looked up, ready to hear what Plagg had to say. 

“Adrien I just think you probably should see your friends. You need to tell them what’s going on, as Chat Noir.” 

Adrien sighed. “I don’t know what’s going on Plagg.” He spoke bitterly. “Marinette is in hospital. Ladybug is sick. That’s all I know.” 

“Y-Yeah, but that’s more than they all know.” Plagg tried again. 

“Plagg, I know you’re trying to help, but- but you’re really not.” Adrien stood and wandered to the window. 

Plagg stayed silent for a while as his wilder stared aimlessly at the street below. 

“Adrien...you need tell the other heroes what’s going on.” Plagg tried again. 

Adrien sighed. “Plagg, I said I didn’t know what’s going on, ok? Tikki, what, showed up yesterday out of nowhere, she’s now gone — no explanation. I haven’t heard anything from the hospital if Marinette is actually ok. I mean she could be dead! But I wouldn’t know that, would I. And don’t even get me started on Ladybug. I mean, at this point, yesterday is a large blur. A monstrous lack of knowledge. A big fat pile of cluelessness. An enormous-“ 

“Ok, ok.” Plagg had to stop Adrien’s dramatised exposition of the recent events. “I promise kid, it’ll all make sense one day. Just...be patient.” Was all he could say. 

Adrien cringed. “You keep saying that. What do you mean it’ll all make sense later?” 

Plagg blinked slowly and sighed. “You just gotta trust me.” 

Adrien was quiet. “Sure, I’m not allowed to know anything else anyway.” He mumbled. 

“No don’t get like that. Adrien listen to me, everything is going to be ok. I know it doesn’t look like that now, but- but things have to get better. Remember, you’re not the only one struggling. Like I said, your friends know less than you. They’re alone right now without their leader, lost. You need to move past this and step up. Because- because it’s what Ladybug would want. Because they need you. Because it’s the right thing to do.”   
Plagg may or may not have asked Tikki for a few pointers in the comforting department, seeing as they both knew what Adrien would be like in the morning. 

Adrien let the words of wisdom sink in. He did have to step up and take charge. Ladybug and Marinette would have to wait. Right now, he needed to assure Alya, Nino, and Chloe that everything was alright, even if he wasn’t sure it was. But could he do that? Could he really put on a fake smile? I mean he did every day for photo shoots and even some school days. But when he knew Marinette was in hospital because of him, could he really smile? 

“You have to take charge.” Plagg pushed him. 

“But she could be dying!” Adrien cried out in pain. He could move past the fact that Tikki had disappeared, that Alya was Rena Rouge, that Nino was Carapace, even that Ladybug was ‘sick’, but he could not ignore Marinette. 

Plagg had no words for this one. He had tried his hardest to help Adrien move on with the day, but Marinette haunted him. And so, Plagg figured, it wasn’t until Adrien could see that Marinette was alright, that he could move on and take charge of the team. 

So that’s exactly what he suggested. Until he was interrupted by blackening of the whole city of Paris. Adrien ran towards the window. 

He watched in pure bewilderment. Of all the things to happen in the past 24 hours, this one confused him the most. 

Gorilla rushed into his room as Plagg swiftly dove into Adrien’s jacket. 

A thunder crack.   
A lightning bolt.   
Several thunder cracks.   
Several lightning bolts. 

With the streets empty, rain began to pelt down on a horizontal angle. 

Winds howled and objects flew everywhere. 

Then came hail creating more damage than the wind, but combined, completely demolished the city. 

Then, silence. 

Clouds cleared to the moment earlier blue clear sky. 

It took Adrien to realise what was going on from behind his bodyguard’s protective stance. But as soon as he got the chance, Adrien was out of his house, suited up. 

———

“Alya, babe, I-“ Carapace approached the red fox as she stood blankly against the railing of the famous Parisian landmark. 

But before he could continue, she heard his approach and threw herself at him, sobbing into his shoulder. 

“I-I’m so, so s-scared.” She wept softly. 

He cupped her face and they fell to the ground together.   
“It’s ok, it’s ok. I’m here.” He stroked her shaking back. 

“I-I’m sorry.” She whispered. 

“I’m sorry too. I wasn’t there for you and then-“

“It doesn’t matter now.” 

“I know. I’m just glad I found you.” 

Rena merely hummed in reply as her boyfriend cuddled her closer. 

“What happened?” Chloe ran out of the elevator to the couple sitting, hugging on the ground. 

Both turned, startled. 

But before any explanation could be given, Chat Noir entered the scene. 

“What’s going on?” His voice so soft it could almost be considered a whisper. 

The three other heroes stared at him as if he had just risen from the dead. 

“What?” He spoke louder and walked towards them gently. 

“N-nothing. It was nothing. I’m sorry I scared everyone, I just-“ Rena shrugged as she dragged herself up and brushed her tears away. 

“It’s ok.” Chat’s voice was soft again as he reached out to embrace Rena. A tear rolled down his cheek as Rena let out a sigh. Someone did understand. 

“Thank you Chat Noir. Thank you for coming back.” Rena pulled away from the hug, a sincere smile on her face. 

Chat smiled back. 

“Alright guys,” Queen Bee started, “we need to compare notes and put together a story for the press.” She pounded her fist in her palm. 

Chat was relieved Chloe had a plan, because honestly he was not prepared to come up with an action plan. 

“What is there to say Chloe. We can’t say too much ‘cause the city will start to doubt us. I mean, we let Marinette get hurt because we couldn’t work as a team, what does that say to the rest of Paris?” Carapace didn’t mean to sound so bitter, but he was sick of Queen Bee thinking that she was the leader. 

“Yeah but we have to say something, we can’t just let the public develop their own ideas and rumours.” Queen Bee retorted. 

“It is better we clear up the story.” Chat added softly. 

Rena sighed at the common division in their team. “What does Ladybug think of all this?” She turned lazily to Chat, expecting an easy answer. 

Chat looked around nervously. “W-well, I, well I don’t k-know. She ah, well I saw the gradian and, well. All he said was that she was- is, sick and yeah, that’s all he said.” 

“She’s sick?” Queen Bee almost bursted out sarcastically. 

“Sick with what?” Rena questioned, a puzzled expression on her face. 

“Well,” Chat rubbed the back of his head, guilty of not inquiring more of his missing partner. “He didn’t exactly say. But he’s working on a tea, magic or something.” Chat scrunched up his face, bracing for impact. 

“Well that’s just great.” Chloe remarked again, not as quick, but just as loud as before. 

“I’m sure she’s fine.” Chat offered. 

“At this point — and I think I speak for all of us — I really don’t care if she’s fine.” Queen Bee scoffed. 

Chat looked shocked as Rena and Carapace hung their heads in shame agreement. 

“You guys really hate her that much? She was sick! What did you think she would do? Fly in and save the day like she usually does? Well guess what, she’s human and young just like us. Everyone makes mistakes-“

“Well of course you’re sticking up for her, you left us to go tell Marinette’s parents and sort everything out with her school.” Rena stepped up. 

“Yeah.” Queen Bee added in support. “You ran off to ‘find her’ and left us to do all the dirty work!” 

“Guys calm down. Chat’s right, everyone makes mistakes. Even if those mistakes seem unforgivable at the time, we need to move past this and focus on that stupid press conference Chloe organised.” Carapace stepped into the circle of destruction. 

The other three went silent and agreed quietly to put the past behind them; to focus on their duties as heroes.


	9. Press Conference Gone Wrong

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Can the team hold a smile for the people of Paris?   
> Why does Master Fu need to go to the hospital to see Marinette

“What did I say.”

“I-I k-know, I know, I-“

“One rule, just one. Is that not simple enough?”

“No you see- I mean yes. Yes sir of course, I just-“

“Don’t get caught. That was it. As simple as that. And yet here you are. Do you realise what this means?”

“W-with all due respect sir, you never said I would have to fight more than those two heroes. I-I mean all-“

“You had one job and you blew it.” There was a pause. “You know what? I’ve decided not to bale you out. You will sit there in that cell until you have learnt what your small muck up has cost you. And when you are free, I intend to have those earrings on my desk or you will return to your old prison.”

“No! No please! I-I can’t go back, let me help you! I need to get out now. They’re all weak now! Ladybug never showed up, they have no leader-“

“What did you say?!” 

“I-I-I ah, w-what-“

“Ladybug wasn’t there?”

“N-no s-sir, I didn’t see her.”

“You didn’t see her?”

“T-that’s what I said.” 

“Ugh, so she could’ve been there.” 

“Well when I was frozen, there were three heroes, than that cat guy came and took the girl away. Then the police arrived and I looked around and she and cat boy were no where to be seen. I just thought they were busy with one of your akuma things.” 

“No. No they weren’t. I need to know where they were, where she was.” 

———

“For the duration of this mission, unfortunately Ladybug was on a confidential mission out of Paris.” Queen Bee spoke in the most monotone voice she could muster as not to express any emotion. 

“Kim, move your fat head.” Alix remarked as she strained to see the small television set at the front of the class. 

“Alix, grow your short legs.” Kim retorted as he moved in sync with Alix to block her view, a smirk staining his face. 

“I’m sitting down.” Alix gave him a look of confusion. 

He turned and shrugged. “Yeah, so?” 

Alix just rolled her eyes and ran down to the group huddled in the front row. 

“Yes, you in the front.”

“When is Ladybug going to return?” 

Queen Bee hesitated and turned to Chat Noir for an answer. 

Chat in his dazed mind state fumbled a bit before stating. “Paris is in safe hands, Ladybug always tries her hardest to make sure of that.” Adrien thanked his father for taking him to all those press conferences — though they were the worst thing at the time, it meant he could respond to the media’s tricky wording even in the depths of despair. 

“It’s so unfair that Chloe got a whole day off just for one measly interview.” Nathanael spoke up. 

“Well there are a bunch of press people.” Ivan (for some reason) defended Chloe. 

“Shhh! They’re talking about Marinette.” 

“Marinette Dupain-Cheng was targeted by the Dark Hood, but we were able to save her before he killed her.” Rena Rouge strained. She almost snapped her flute, which was hidden behind her back, in frustration. 

“Do you call, and I quote, ‘emitted in critical condition’ a save?”

Rena’s eyes widened. Carapace discretely grabbed her hand softly. 

“Well she is in a stable condition now.” Queen Bee spoke up.   
“Yes?” she pointed to a reporter in the back with his hand raised. 

“How did you know the Dark Hood was going to strike?” 

Queen Bee hesitated. 

“Marinette is a friend of Alya Cesaire, the girl who writes the Ladyblog. Alya was able to contact us when Marinette thought she was in trouble.” Carapace remembered the excuse they had made up cooperatively. 

All team members let out a sigh of relief. 

“So more than one citizen was involved.” A reporter quickly commented in a degrading tone. 

Panic rose among the heroes again. 

“W-well, ye-...no, she-“

“If you are asking if Alya Cesaire was also injured as result of the Dark Hood than no. Mlle Cesaire was not involved.” Queen Bee quickly spoke up over Carapace. Her father being the mayor, it was impossible not to learn how to deal with media. 

The class watched on the edge of their seats. It seemed like half of their class was involved in this serious matter. 

“Maybe that’s why Alya’s not here.” Rose whispered to Juleka. 

Juleka merely mumbled something. 

But Maylèn, who had overheard the comment, spoke up. “Why would Alya not be here?” 

Rose turned to her. “Because she had to get involved. It’s very stressful working with heroes I presume.” 

Alix laughed. “It’s probably because she’s part of the media getting answers for the Ladyblog.” 

“Yes, that is a more likely reason.” Max deduced. 

Rose turned back to the TV. 

Maylèn noticed that she was a little sad at getting her theory rejected. “She probably stayed home to recover from hero work and then went to the press conference.” Maylèn suggested as to please everyone. 

“Sure.” Alix shrugged not really caring anymore. 

“Guys shhh, Chat Noir just ran off!” Kim waved at the group whispering on the floor. 

Everyone looked up in confusion. 

“Do you have any words on Chat Noir’s behalf?”   
“Is something wrong?”  
“What’s going on with Chat Noir?”  
“Why did he leave?”  
“Is there an akuma that needs to be taken care of?”  
“Where’s Ladybug?”  
“What happened with him?”  
“Where has Chat Noir gone?”  
“Now Rena Rouge is leaving!”  
“Is there something wrong with Marinette Dupain-Cheng?”  
“What’s happening?”  
“This interview isn’t over!”  
“Is there something you aren’t telling us about Mlle Dupain-Cheng?” 

“This conference is over!” Queen Bee demanded as she took off with the rest of the heroes. 

‘Great, Chat’s probably run away again’ she thought. 

With that, the TV was turned off. 

The class all stared at each other in confusion. 

———

Queen Bee quickly and angrily followed the sight of Carapace in the distance. He lead her to the top of a building out of sight of the reporters. 

“What the heck was that! Have you lost your mind?! Those people could say anything now cause of your little freak out! We have to make the public feel safe and-!” Chloe was silenced by Carapace’s pleading stare as he held Chat Noir’s shoulder. 

Rena sat next to the crying cat, stroking his back and whispering words of assurance. 

“It’s all my fault.” Chat sobbed through his hands. “None of this would’ve happened if I had just talked to him after he was de-akumatised.” 

“Oh Chat don’t be like that. It’s not your fault he chose to do the things he did. No one could’ve stopped him.” Rena tried to comfort. 

“B-but I suggested the bait. I even went to Marinette’s house! She asked me to tell her what happened. I was so mad at Ladybug, I told her everything, everything! I was an idiot. It’s all my fault.”

Rena let the words sink in. Chat was mad at Ladybug after the meeting too?

“I-is Ladybug ok? I mean I thought something was off when we had our meeting.” Rena asked Chat. 

Chat sniffed. “Even before that, she nearly crashed into the side of a wall. She said something about it being all her fault. But I didn’t know what ‘it’ exactly was.” 

“So how long has she been ‘sick’?”  
Carapace joined the conversation. 

The hero shrugged in response. “All I was told was that she had been- is sick. With what, no one knows. And too what extent was this ‘sickness’ the cause of her change,” Chat sighed, “I wish I knew.” He whispered.

“Hey,” Rena placed her hand on his shoulder. “Everything is going to be ok. I mean sure, we don’t know anything, but I know this, I rather not know anything than be in this alone.” Rena gave Carapace a sweet smile. That was the Alya he knew. She was the strongest person he knew, and he never doubted that for a second. 

Chloe hummed in agreement. 

Then silence followed. But not like the silence they all shared on the basement floor yesterday. This silence was comforting. They were all in it together. They had each other and they knew now that was enough. Everyone played a part in harming Marinette. But everyone played a part in saving her too. The four huddled together to comfort each other as they all took time to breathe. To look at the situation differently. To see things from other’s point of view. To be there for each other, and be understanding towards one another. They had each other. 

“We have each other guys. It doesn’t matter what’s happened to Ladybug right now. We can focus on her latter, I’m sure she can handle herself. But right now, Marinette needs us. She needs our apology. She needs our assurance. And we need to regain her trust.” 

“Alya’s right. We need to go and visit Marinette in the hospital.” Chloe transformed back into Queen Bee. 

They all nodded. 

———

“All right class, back to work.” Mlle Bustier turned off the TV. The class stared at each other in confusion. 

“What was that?” Alix turned to Maylèn, but she merely shrugged. 

“I wonder what they’re hiding from us?” Sabrina pondered out loud. 

Kim turned, a disgusted look on his face. “They’re not hiding anything, they’re superheroes, they physically can’t lie.” 

“What is wrong with you. It’s not impossible for heroes to lie, and even if it was, hiding the truth isn’t lying.” Alix turned to Kim with a tired expression. 

Kim just rolled his eyes. She obviously didn’t know superheroes as well as he did. 

“They would have to hide some things Sabrina, like maybe some personal things about Marinette, or even how they’re feeling right now. I mean it must be awful to talk about such an event only the day after.” Maylèn answered Sabrina. 

“Oh can you imagine! They probably fought really hard and Marinette still ended up in hospital. I would feel awful.” Rose exclaimed. 

“Exactly, Chat Noir probably has PTS, that’s why he ran off.”

“Yeah, but he’s Chat Noir. He fights bad guys all the time, why is this different?” Alix asked Maylèn. 

Maylèn sat in thought a while before Max spoke up. 

“Well you must remember that Ladybug wasn’t present this time, and it’s her Miraculous Ladybug that fixes everything. A better question would be how was this fight similar to their previous ones.” Max pushed up his glasses. 

“It was completely different?” Maylèn turned to Alix with a shrug. 

“Yeah I guess it was.” Alix looked away mournfully.

“Class you can talk about the press conference in your own time, but for now, I need you to get as much work done before the-“ Mlle Bustier was interrupted by the end of period bell.   
“-bell.” She finished her sentence, defeated as her class left the room. 

———

“Sorry kids, but only close family and friends are allowed to see her.” The nurse held up her hand to stop the group of heroes from passing. 

“B-but, w-we ar-“ 

Queen Bee quickly nudged Carapace before he said anything that would give away their identities. 

“We understand. Thank you.” Queen Bee turned to leave. 

But Rena Rouge wasn’t leaving without a fight. “At least could you tell us her room number so we can tell her friends. They’re really worried about her.” 

“I’m sorry but that’s patient confidentiality. I really wish I could help but considering the circumstances, Marinette has very restricted visiting hours.” The nurse began to walk off to deal with some papers. 

“W-what circumstances?” Chat Noir spoke up and stopped her. 

The nurse sighed. “The police are doing their part to keep the Dark Hood locked up but just in case, we can’t just let anyone walk in.” She paused. “I’m only going to tell you this because you’re superheroes and I think you have the right to know considering how much of this case you took part in.” 

They leaned in close to hear her whisper. 

“The police have told us that they suspect the Dark Hood is working with Hawkmoth. So we have reason to fret Hawkmoth coming and finishing the job if you know what I mean. But you didn’t hear that from me.” 

Rena gasped. “No.” She breathed. 

The team shared looks of concern. 

“Well then we should be able to protect her. We stand the best chance against Hawkmoth.” Chat Noir stood his ground. The other three backed him up. 

The nurse glanced around distressed. Then she firmly stated. “I’m sorry, I really am, but it’s not up to me. I’m on strict instructions not to let anyone behind those doors.” 

Queen Bee sighed. “Thank you for your help.” 

Discouraged, the team of heroes sulked off back down the hall. How were they going to see Marintette? How were they going to apologise? 

“How are we going to visit her?” Chat Noir demanded as the hero landed on the hospital roof. 

“We can’t, they won’t let us.” Carapace plopped down and dangled his legs off the side of the building. 

“Yes we can, we just need to think creatively.” Rena announced as the group formed a circle. 

“What would Ladybug do?” Chat scoffed.

“Exactly.” Rena ignored Chat’s sarcasm. “What would the smart, creative thinking, problem solving Ladybug do?” 

“She wouldn’t show up for starters.” Queen Bee plopped herself next to Carapace. 

The team hummed in agreement. 

“Chloe, we need to get over this. Ladybug is sick. She’s not herself, we can’t blame her-“

“No, we can’t blame her, because she wasn’t even there! She did nothing!” Queen Bee bursted. 

“Chloe!” Chat Noir shouted. “Rena’s just trying to help. Look, I know we kept getting hit and the face and as soon as things start to look up, we get knocked down again, but yelling about it isn’t going to help anyone. 

“Chat’s right. We are a team, with or without Ladybug. She may be our leader, but a team needs to work together, everyone helps each other.” Rena stood next to him. 

Rena had broken her guilty fever and was on the road to recovery. She could see that Chat was looking better too. They had both in a way exploded and were slowly calming down and dealing with their problems. Queen Bee and Carapace however were yet to reach their breaking point and were slowly climbing towards it. They could explode at any minute. 

“Well that doesn’t help us get to Marinette.” Queen Bee brushed off the encouragement.

“Why do you even want to see Marinette Chloe? I mean, you guys are like enemies, don’t you hate her?” Rena confronted Queen Bee. 

“I-I don’t hate her. I just dislike her, a lot.” Queen Bee huffed. 

“Really? ‘Cause only a few days ago did you get her a detention for looking at you in science.” Rena folded her arms as she stood over Queen Bee. 

“Yeah well she was clearly cheating off my work!” Queen Bee quickly stood up to regain some sort of authority. 

“You mean Sabrina’s work?” 

“Pfsh, Sabrina was copying off me as well.”

Rena just stared at her until she cracked. 

“Fine it was Sabrina’s lowly work! You happy? Why do you even care, it happened last week!” 

Rena shook her head. “Admit it Chloe, you care about Marinette.” She shrugged. 

Queen Bee rolled her eyes. “I do not.”

“Yeah you do. Face it, no matter how mean to her you pretend to be, you still care about her.” 

“I don’t, I just- well I just want to see if she’s ok, that’s all.” 

“Sure.” 

“Ugh doesn’t matter, we can’t see her anyway.” Queen Bee sighed. 

“Uh, I’ll catch you guys later.” Chat Noir took off, leaving the other three heroes in pure confusion. 

Chat Noir — who was not paying any attention to the feisty girl chat going on — had spotted a familiar face walking into the hospital down below. He was struck with an impulse to follow Master Fu with some kind of hope of finding Marinette.

“Is he ok?” Queen Bee quickly turned to the others. 

“Should we follow him?” Carapace asked as they watched Chat jump down to the street below. 

“Nah, he’s a big boy, he can look after himself.” Rena shook her head. 

———

Adrien decided it was best to de-transform before wandering into the hospital. He didn’t want any more suspicious looks or nosey press in his face. Of course, Adrien Agreste wasn’t a much easier face to use in public. 

Like a large cat stalking his prey, Adrien followed Master Fu to the information desk. 

“Ah, excuse me, I’m Marinette Dupain-Cheng’s great uncle, Mr Cheng. I’m here to see her. Her parents said that she was in hospital, so I’ve brought her some of my famous remedy tea.” Adrien listened carefully to Master Fu’s brilliant introduction. 

Within a moment, he watched as Master Fu was presumably directed to Marinette’s room. 

“Unbelievable.” Adrien whispered to himself. 

“You’re telling me, they don’t have any Camembert in the hospital cafeteria.” Plagg cried hungrily from Adrien’s shirt. 

Adrien ignore the kwami and quickly followed Fu to the elevator. 

“Hold the door!” He cried as soon as he past the desk and was safe from questioning. 

Master Fu popped his head back into the hall way to see Adrien sprinting towards him. 

“Adrien?” He cried, holding the door open. 

“Thanks.” Adrien puffed as the doors closed behind them. 

“What on earth are you doing here?” 

“I need to see Marinette.” Adrien rubbed the back of his neck. 

“So do I, but I can’t seem to get to her room.” Master Fu looked down at his tea sorrowfully. 

Adrien was baffled. “W-What do you mean. I thought they told you her room number?” 

Fu shook his head. “They said that only her parents were allowed to see her.” 

“They told us earlier that only close friends and family could visit.” Adrien commented confused. 

Master Fu just gave him a confused look. 

“Me and the other three heroes came early to see if we could visit Marinette.” He explain further.

“So you were rejected as well.” Fu sighed with a shaking of his head. “It seems you can only possibly get in if you show up with her parents.”

“3, 2, 1...” Plagg whispered to himself. 

Adrien nodded. “Wait, you said you needed to see Marinette, why?”


	10. Ladybug Returns

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Master Fu manages to give Adrien an answer, but that’s the least of their problems - will they find Marinette?  
> Chloe is jealous of Chat Noir...  
> Alya and Nino are best friends <3

“Wait, you said you needed to see Marinette, why?” Adrien asked Master Fu quizzically in the hospital elevator. 

There was hesitation as Plagg smirked directly at his master. 

“I-I’m her uncle, mother’s side. T-this tea is a-a secret family recipe, I’m hoping it will help her.” He used the same story. 

He was telling the truth before? Adrien furrowed his brows as if something just wasn’t right. 

“Really? B-but you’re Master Fu, not Cheng.”

“Y-Yes, w-well...” Fu glanced down to a smug Plagg. “I only use that name to keep my identity safe as well as all the Miraculouses.” He fudged out. 

It took a while for Adrien to accept that he was telling the truth.

“Ok....Wait, then why are we in an elevator. You said you couldn’t get the nurse to tell you Marinette’s room number.” Adrien speculated. 

“Yes well I intend to find her.” 

Master Fu was acting very suspiciously. This made Adrien very suspicious, but due to everything he had experienced in the past 24 hours, he was too tired of the drama to act very seriously on his suspicions.

“Ok...” Adrien paused. “So how exactly are we going to find her?” 

“Patients Adrien.” Master Fu smiled knowingly. 

Adrien figured he wasn’t going to get many answers so he just stared at the elevator door in silent confusion. 

The door dinged open not a moment later and Master Fu casually strolled out. Adrien looked around and noticed that they were headed towards the ICU department. He guessed they had told him that much. But then he began to wonder about what the nurse said to him before — about the high visiting restrictions the hospital had put up. He wondered whether or not they were about to get asked questions. They were very suspicious looking after all. 

Adrien nearly ran into Fu when the old man came to a stop outside the children’s wing. 

“We’ll wait here.” He stated calmly. 

Adrien just nodded. He was going to assume Master Fu knew what he was doing, no matter how crazy and illogical it seemed, as long as he got to see Marinette. 

After a rough five minutes of waiting suspiciously at the double doors of the children’s ICU wing, with nurses and doctors casually strolling by, Fu made a move. 

As if they were resident doctors walking down the wards, Adrien followed Master Fu up the quiet corridor. No words were shared. Until finally he came to a stop outside room 12. Adrien wondered what kind of magic this man possessed. 

All suspicious thoughts about Fu were forgotten as he stared at the patient sheet on the wall.  
This was it. Around the corner was Marinette. Breathe in, breathe out.  
He was going to look her in the eyes and... probably burst into tears. But after that, he would apologise. Wait, no, he couldn’t do that, he wasn’t Chat Noir, she didn’t think Adrien did anything wrong.  
Adrien then debated transforming. But what if she was angry at Chat Noir? What if she just wanted to see a close friend?  
Adrien began to panic as he stood in the entrance way of the room. 

Master Fu, though he questioned why the boy hadn’t come in any further, was thankful for the much needed time alone with Marinette. She was unconscious of course and Adrien was still in the same room so he couldn’t say anything, but he was able to return the earrings and Tikki. 

Tikki cried and weeped — silently — as she stroked Marinette’s fringe out of her face. 

Fu watched the heart warming reunion between kwami and wielder. It brought a slight tear. But he couldn’t get distracted, there was work to be done. 

Now, he had completed the healing tea with help from Tikki, all that was left to do was to find a way for Marinette to drink it. Well not necessarily drink, it just had to get into her body somehow. Magic is weird like that. 

Fu noticed a drip in her arm and an oxygen mask over her face. Then an idea sparked. If he could turn some of the tea into a gas, he could let Marinette breathe it in. Of course, he would need a lot more tea to increase the concentration and thus effectiveness as a gas. There was always placing the tea in her drip, but he decided against fiddling with that kind of medical equipment. 

“Hey Marinette, how are- oh.” Adrien stopped in his greeting as he realised that she was unconscious. Startled, Fu nearly dropped his tea. 

“She’s unconscious.” Master Fu tried to explain whilst catching his breath. 

Adrien nodded. “I see that now.” 

Tikki quickly hid under Marinette’s pillow as Adrien approached the bed. 

The room was silent as Adrien slipped his hand into Marinette’s still one. 

“Is she going to be ok?” Adrien asked on the verge of tears. 

Master Fu sighed. “The profile says she has two broken ribs, internal bleeding and bruising, and a deep wound on her back left shoulder.” He read the sheet on the wall remorsefully. 

Adrien let out a quivering breath as he stroked the un-grazed side of her face.  
“I’m so sorry.” He whispered. 

Master Fu walked over and placed his hand comfortingly on Adrien’s back. 

“She’ll be alright Adrien. She has you to protect her-“

There was a click from the door nob as the door swung open. 

Both heads turned within the tiniest millisecond. 

“Plagg, claws out!” Adrien whispered as he jumped out the window. 

Master Fu was too slow to hide, luckily he had a different plan. 

“Sir! What are-“

“Oh Cheryl is that you?” Fu squinted at the nurse, a cane in one hand and his basket containing a teapot in the other. 

The nurse, though still a little angry, guided the old man out of the room. 

“All I wanted was some chicken.” Fu mumbled just so the nurse could hear. “I was sure Cheryl would have some.” 

The nurse walked Master Fu to the elevator at which point he ‘tripped’, pushing her into the elevator without him. 

“Sorry dear.” He cried as the doors shut. 

But by the time the startled nurse could open the doors again, the old man was gone. 

Chat Noir watched this whole scene unfold from the hospital windows. There was no way this man was Marinette’s uncle. 

———

“Do you want to go out tonight?” Alya asked her boyfriend as they sat, continuing their Friends saga. 

“You know, if I had asked you that question five hours ago, you would’ve thrown a sequin pillow at my head.” Nino stated plainly. 

Alya shrugged. “What, I let it all out, I exploded, I’m good now.”

“You sure?” Nino laughed a little. “You know Marinette’s still in hospital because of us?” 

Alya sighed deeply then crept closer to Nino’s confused face. “A smart person once told me that what’s happened, happened. I can’t change anything. Do I feel bad for what happened? Of course. Do I wish I could change it? Every minute. But I shouldn’t feel sorry for myself for feeling so guilty, others have it worse. Take Chloe for example.”

Nino laughed as Alya pressed her lips against his. 

“I missed you.” He whispered in her ear as they fell back onto her bed. 

———

Once the couple had regained their composure, Alya sighed and flopped onto her bed with a bounce. 

“I hope Marinette is ok.” She mumbled. 

Nino laid down next to her and began to play with her hair as they stared dreamily at the ceiling. 

“I mean, I hope she doesn’t hate me for not protecting her. She trusted me and I let her down, what kind of a friend am I?” Alya continued. 

“Only the best-est friend ever would feel as bad as you do. And besides, Alya did nothing to her, it was Rena Rouge who let her down.” 

“That doesn’t help you know! I’ll probably have to listen to her rant about how she trusted the saviours of Paris and how badly they let her down. I’ll probably just confess my identity I’ll feel that guilty!” Alya cried out dramatically. 

“Yeah well, at least you can talk her out of it. I mean you’re close, she listens to you. Maybe you can convince her not to hate us all?” Nino tried to put a positive spin on the situation. Tried. 

Alya just stuffed a regular pillow in his face. 

“Let me out! I need air!” Nino cried, limbs waving frantically as Alya suffocated him. 

“Fine.” Alya huffed letting Nino gasp for his long lost air. 

Both teens slouched against the bed head, the joyful teasing mood washing away as thoughts of what they were actually talking about began to creep back in. 

In times like these, a good mood was short lived. Marinette was in hospital because of them. She had trusted them to protect her, but they let her down. She was traumatised, beaten, bruised, stabbed, all because of them. 

“Hey,” Nino turned to Alya once his thoughts began to get too sad. “At least we have each other.” He grabbed her hand. “Whatever happens, we go through it together ok? Promise me that.”

“Always.” Alya smiled warmly. 

———

Chloe watched mindlessly as Rena Rouge and Carapace made their way back to presumably Alya’s house. She wanted to be alone. 

Soft tears rolled down her cheeks. Being Queen Bee was hard enough, but to have everyone know your secret identity, well it had its ups and downs. Of course it always helped with getting days off and not having to come up with excuses.  
But in that moment, she wished she was Chat Noir. No one knew who he was, well, Ladybug might of. But he was free to be two separate people. Two seperate identities. He wasn’t going to be questioned on why he acted the way he did — that was just who Chat Noir was. Even if it was strange for him in his civilian form to run off randomly, no one questioned it. 

Alya has asked her why she was all of a sudden caring towards Marinette.  
“I don’t know Alya, maybe because she could be dying?!” Chloe wanted to shout back. But after years and years of working up a reputation — no matter how bad — pride kept her from ruining it. If she had said what she wanted, her reputation would be destroyed, even if only to two people. So she held her tongue, making her look like the worst human ever. It felt awful. Chat Noir was lucky considering his name. 

———

Master Fu had a problem. He needed to make sure Marinette was ready to battle an akuma. The problem was that she was unconscious and had nurses walking in and out of her room constantly. 

After Adrien had left, Master Fu crept back into the room. It wasn’t easy to find it again as Sass wasn’t exactly as good at hiding as Wayzz, but they managed to find the poor girl’s room once more, this time remembering the room number. 

Once inside, Fu examined the girl again, more thoroughly this time. The tea was still hot in his basket and Sass lay on top of it to keep hidden and warm. 

The sound of the door handle opening snapped Master Fu out of his examination. 

“Second chance!” 

Back to problem solving he went. 

The oxygen tank next to her bed couldn’t be penetrated. Neither could the liquid in the drip. He was afraid to see if she could swallow. Maybe he could find a needle? Deliver the tea through injection? Sass could easily find one, they were in a hospital after all. And if that didn’t work, a rag cloth dipped in the tea to replace the breathing mask might work. 

Finally, he had found a way to revive Ladybug, though Tikki wasn’t entirely convinced it would work. But nevertheless it a plan. Now, what if a nurse were to walk in while she was out fighting akumas? 

Another twisting of the door handle sparked an idea. 

“Second chance!” 

Genius. All he had to do, was stand at the door and call on ‘Second chance’ when someone came. 

Well, that was everything wasn’t it? He had planned for the worst and he was confident that it should work. And not a moment too soon, because as Master Fu began to pack up, the sound screaming echoed from the streets below. 

———

Alya jumped up and ran to the window. 

“We have to go, now!” She cried back urgently at Nino. 

Nino sat up confused and ran to take a look at what had got her so worried.  
His breathing began to quicken. 

“No, no, no no n-no I can’t. Not now. No! I can’t, I can’t I can’t I can’t.”

“Snap our of it Nino!” Alya yelled as she shook the hyperventilating boy. 

He stared back at her, fear in his eyes. “I can’t go out there, I can’t do anything, I- I’m no hero. You go, you’re better than me. Y-you go, go help Chat Noir. I’ll w-wait here.” Nino stuttered as he fumbled down onto a chair. 

“Babe, look at me. We are superheroes. It’s just an akuma. You’ll be fine. Just forget what happened.” Alya yanked him out of the room. “Trix, let’s pounce!” 

Nino eventually transformed after he miraculously calmed down (he may have gotten a little help from Rena Rouge’s lips). And together they sort out Chloe, carefully avoiding the akuma. 

Luckily, she hadn’t moved. Rena landed on the hospital roof and approached her quickly. 

“We need to go! We have to help!” 

“Then go on, help.” Chloe snapped, standing up and walking away. 

“We’re a team Chloe, we can’t defeat the akuma without you.” Rena pleaded, chasing her to the other side. 

“Oh I’m sure you’ll manage.” Chloe rolled her eyes bitterly. 

“Come on Chloe stop sulking and help us!” Rena began to get angry. 

“Why? It’s not like a Ladybug is going to show up.” Chloe turned with the same anger and did a big sweeping gesture with her arm. 

“Ladybug doesn’t matter right now, we need to stop this akuma no matter how bad we all feel.”

“Oh well you seem pretty fine, so go on, capture that akuma- oh wait, you can’t.” Chloe straightened up and flicked her wrist in a mocking manner. 

“Chloe stop please, you have to put aside your feelings right now, this is serious.” Rena demanded, standing her ground. 

“There’s no point, Ladybug isn’t going to show up. And without Ladybug, we can’t fix anything.”

“I know, I know, but Chat said he had a plan, all we need is you.” Rena lied to get her trust. She really hoped it wasn’t a lie though. 

“Well I’m not coming.” Chloe folded her arms. 

“Chloe listen, you have to get over this-“ Rena lowered her voice. 

“Over what huh? Over the fact that we’re useless heroes, that- that we couldn’t even protect Marinette from someone who wasn’t even akumatised! Or should I get over the fact that Ladybug is nothing more than a selfish, disrespectful, rude- ...Ladybug?” 

Everything stopped. 

Chloe was shocked. 

She was there, she was really there. Ladybug, right in front of her. Smiling kindly at her stunned frozen face. She couldn’t believe it. 

“L-L-Ladybug?” Chat Noir’s shaking voice echoed from behind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bum bum BUM!!!


	11. A Warm Welcome

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Has Chloe left the team? Can Chat Noir forgive?   
> Some of Marinette’s classmates are hungry for the truth and go out to uncover the Marinette Mystery.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m so glad you guys are enjoying the story!!

Ladybug turned to have Chat Noir throw himself onto her. 

“I can’t believe it’s really you!” He cried, tears streaming down his face. 

The other three simply stared in shock, amazement, confusion? They really didn’t know how to feel. 

“Oh calm down Chat, it’s only been a day.” Ladybug laughed, stroking his hair. 

“Two days.” He whispered. 

This caused her to stiffen a little. It’s not still Wednesday? Her memory was a little foggy for some reason. 

“Well enough of that, it’s time we defeat this akuma.” Ladybug pulled away and faced her team. 

“What do you mean we?” Chloe snapped. 

“Chloe don’t-“ 

“No, I want to know what Ladybug means by we.” Chloe shushed Rena. 

Ladybug became nervous. What was happening? What happened to Chloe?

“Come on Ladybug, tell us, does ‘we’ mean all of us, or everyone but you. Because the last time I checked, we were a team. And teammates don’t just not show up when their team needs them.”

“Chloe please-“

“No! We needed you Ladybug and you weren’t there. We had to fight this murderer without you, and thanks to you, Marinette is probably dead because of it! Dead Ladybug! You killed her. You and your selfish, spiteful ways brought Marinette to her death. And to think, I actually looked up to you! But you are nothing more than a low-life, selfish, self absorbed,-“

“Chloe! That’s enough.” Rena quickly jumped in front of her, blocking her from Ladybug’s view. 

Soft tears rolled down Ladybug’s cheeks. 

“You apologise to Ladybug right now. Sure she messed up but you took that too far.” Rena demanded. 

Chloe huffed and ran away. 

So Rena turned to Ladybug. “I’m sorry Ladybug, she didn’t mean it. Well, she did. And maybe we all have at some point today, but I know it wasn’t your fault. You were sick, I get it. But it’s just hard to accept the fact that our hero let us down, no matter her valid excuse.” Rena somewhat apologised, flustered, as she hugged Ladybug. 

Ladybug stared blankly at Chat over Rena’s shoulder. Chat turned, not wanting to make eye contact. He missed her yes, but to forgive her was going to take longer. 

The whole team seemed to hate Ladybug. And she didn’t know exactly why. Parts of her memory were blurred out, and strange as it was, Ladybug didn’t want to try and get those memories back. She had one purpose on her mind: to capture the akuma. 

“Come on guys, we can talk about this later!” Carapace cried as a loud thud followed by screams came from a few blocks away. 

“Right.” Rena pulled away from the hug. “Welcome back Ladybug.” She smiled before taking off with Carapace. 

Chat Noir went to follow but Ladybug stopped him. “I...I’m sorry Chat. For whatever I did to hurt this team. I want you to know that. I really am sorry.” 

Chat stared deeply into her bluebell eyes. “I know.”

———

The school bell sounded and students flooded out of the building. Among those were Alix, Kim, Maylèn, and Max. The four students wanted closure on what happened to their friend and they intended to find out. 

It had been a long, restless day. Alix especially was in detective mode as she tried to piece together what had happened to Marinette. She didn’t have much to work with, just Mlle Bustier’s extremely brief explanation and the hero’s terrible interview. But from that, she knew Marinette was in the hospital and thus she could just ask Marinette for the answers to her questions. 

Kim always enjoyed an adventure, so when he heard that Alix was playing sleuth, he opted to join, mainly because he had nothing better to do and he was curious as to how this was all going to unfold. 

Maylèn couldn’t stop thinking about Marinette. Ivan tried to comfort her as she seemed very distressed, but it was no use. She just couldn’t come to terms with the fact that the Dark Hood had tried to kill Marinette. She needed answers, much like Alix. And with Ivan going with Juleka and Rose back to Juleka’s house boat to create a get well song for Marinette, Maylèn decided that she’d be better off joining the investigation instead of sitting around stewing on her problem. 

Max honestly had nothing important to do that afternoon and thought he should make a good asset to the now junior detective team. He always enjoyed a challenge and the Marinette mystery was going to be a good one. He had heard just as much as Alix, but he had crunched some numbers and determined the probability of the hero’s interview being completely true was around 17 percent. He needed answers.

So off the four went, on a mission to find out the truth. They wanted to find out just what happened to Marinette, and everyone else absent for that matter. They needed answers and intended to find them. 

The hospital was their first stop. They knew Marinette was there and where Marinette was, answers would be also. 

“Ok team, here’s the plan. We’re going to try our luck with a simple ‘hello, we’re Marinette’s friends and we’d like to see her’.” Alix informed the others as they strolled casually into the hospital. 

“Hello, how may I help you?” The lady at reception smiled. 

“Ah yes, we’re Marinette Dupain-Cheng’s friends and we were wondering if we could see her?” Alix stated firmly. 

The lady pressed her lips together. “I’m sorry,” she sighed, “but Marinette isn’t allowed any visitors at the moment. I really am sorry.” 

Alix, though discouraged, put on a smile. “Ok, thank you. Maybe you could tell her that we were here?”

“I’ll see what I can do.” The lady smiled. 

With that, the detectives left. 

“Why won’t they let us see Marinette?” Kim asked as they sat down on the bench outside. 

“Well, she’s probably in no condition for company.” Maylèn deduced sweetly. 

“Yeah, her hair’s probably a mess.” Alix teased. 

“Actually, it is probably more likely that something else is going on, something to do with the police and Ladybug and Chat Noir and stuff.” Max ignored the joke. 

Alix furrowed her brows. 

Max rolled his eyes. “Marinette was targeted by the Dark Hood was she not? And even though he is in jail now, they have to be careful that he doesn’t come and you know.” 

“Kill her?” Alix confirmed. 

Max nodded. 

“Wait wait, so that Dark Hood guy tried to kill Marinette?” Kim looked around confused. 

Alix smacked her forehead. “Na da dumbo! Did you not listen to the interview thing.” 

Kim merely shrugged. “I was too busy watching Chat Noir, I wasn’t really paying attention.” 

“Why were you watching Chat Noir?” Maylèn asked, a little disturbed. 

“Didn’t you see the guy, he looked like he was going to pass out or something. He was like under some kind of spell, and his brain looked like it was about to explode and blow his head off.” Kim laughed at the memory. 

Max and Alix shared a look then proceeded to find a recording of the interview online. 

The group huddled around Max’s phone, watching the screen intently. 

“Thank you all for coming. I understand that this is a very serious, delicate situation but we intend to answer any questions you have as truthfully as possible-“ Queen Bee began the press conference as the other heroes sat down around her. 

“Just fast forward a bit, it wasn’t until they started talking about Marinette.” Kim interrupted. 

Max proceeded to speed up the video to around the halfway mark. 

“-arintte was involved-“

“See look at his face!” Kim exclaimed. 

Max quickly paused the video. 

Everyone’s eyes widened. There Chat Noir was, pale faced, looking like he was going to puke. 

“Woah, he looks awful!” Alix remarked. 

“I wonder what’s wrong.” Maylèn thought aloud. 

“Hey, is that Alya?” Kim momentarily changed the subject as he spotted a red-head amongst the reporters on the paused screen. 

Max zoomed in and everyone squinted at the now blurry picture. 

“Nah, it can’t be, it’s too red on top.” Alix gestured to her own head. 

“Yeah, it’s not her.” Maylèn confirmed. 

“But I thought you guys said she was there?” Kim pondered, now confused. 

“We didn’t say that she definitely was, just that she might be. She could’ve just been sick today.” Alix reminded calmly. 

“Yeah, like Rose said, working with heroes must be very stressful.” 

“Guys look, the Ladyblog hasn’t been updated since the incident.” Max had turned the interview off and proceeded to find the Ladyblog. 

Alix and Maylèn shared a concerned look. 

“Maybe this is more serious than we first thought.” Alix commented. 

“Hold up, so Alya was sick today?” 

Max, Alix, and Maylèn rolled their eyes simultaneously. 

“We’re saying that she might’ve been more involved in this murder thing than the heroes were letting on. Like, so involved that she can’t even talk about it or update her blog on one of the biggest scoops ever.” Alix explained, a little less calmly. 

“Right.” Kim muttered, still a little confused. 

“Ok, so we know Marinette is hurt real bad, Alya could also be hurt. What about Nino and Adrien?” Maylèn regrouped, beginning to enjoy playing detective. 

Max and Alix thought for a bit (Kim was getting tired of all these riddles).

“Maybe the boys were also there?” Max put out. 

Alix nodded. “Or maybe they had nothing to do with it and now they’re regretting it?”

“Oh, like they feel bad for not protecting their girlfriends?” Maylèn rephrased. 

Alix nodded. 

Max shrugged. “Maybe, but Marinette and Adrien aren’t actually a couple.” 

“Then tell me why he wanted to walk her to lunch?” Alix smirked. 

“When did that happen?”

“I overheard them at her locker, he was a desperate man, practically all over her.” 

Maylèn grew excited. “I can’t believe Marinette didn’t tell us!” She squealed. 

“Hang on,” Kim had caught up to the conversation. “Adrien is not going out with Marinette.” Kim folded his arms dominantly. 

Alix and Maylèn gave him a fed up look. 

“And just how are you so certain of that?” Alix mimicked his stance. 

“Because, like you said, he’s desperate. Would he be so desperate for her if he had her, no.” 

Alix and Maylèn were shocked into silence by Kim’s logical remark. 

Max just rolled his eyes. “The chances of Nino and Adrien taking a day off because of their girlfriends or not girlfriends are very low. Especially when the chances of Alya also being hospital are almost impossible.” 

“And why’s that?”

“Miss Bustier would’ve told us if Alya was also in hospital.” 

“Yeah ok. But that doesn’t mean the murderer got to her to.” 

“Still, it doesn’t make sense that Adrien and Nino would take a day off for that. It can’t be that serious.” Max tried to explain. 

“Ok ok, so maybe they didn’t stay home just to comfort or whatever their girlfriends. Why did they stay home then?” Alix needed answers and she intended to get them. 

“Maybe they were sick?” Kim suggested. 

Max shrugged in agreement.

“But that’s not interesting.” Alix threw her hands in the air. 

“Or romantic.” Maylèn added. 

Max opened his mouth to explain to Alix the simplicity of life sometimes, but was interrupted by a scream echoing from a few blocks down. 

The four jumped up as a loud crash followed. 

“Is it an akuma?” Maylèn became anxious and huddled closer to Alix. 

Kim waved the girls and Max behind him as he was the biggest. 

“It’s probably nothing.” Max poked his head around Kim to the street as the group shuffled to the hospital entrance. 

But his theory was disproved as a car flew through the sky and landed right in front of them. 

“Quick, inside!” Kim cried. 

The four ran as fast as they could back inside the hospital. 

Alix turned to see that they were safe and instead caught a glimpse at a red and black polka-dotted heroine swinging towards the danger, followed by her cat-like partner. 

“Ladybug!” Her face lit up. 

“What?” Maylèn ran to the window. “Ladybug? I thought they said she was away on a mission?” 

“What mission?” Kim went to see what the girls were gazing at. 

“A secret mission. Probably just a cover for why she couldn’t come to the interview.” Max joined them. 

“But didn’t they say Ladybug wasn’t even there for when Marinette was nearly killed?” Alix recalled, turning away from the window. 

The group re-huddled. 

“I suppose it was a spontaneous battle, maybe she was busy?” Maylèn suggested. 

“Yes, I’m sure superheroes aren’t always in costume. Ladybug probably has a secret civilian life.” 

“I guess.” Alix turned back to the window to see Ladybug- and all the other heroes apparently.”

———

Carapace leant on Rena as the akuma was captured. It was a tough fight on their behalf. Ladybug still seemed a little sick and wasn’t as agile as she usually was. Rena felt bad for saying that they all had thought the mean things Chloe said to her. But it wasn’t like she could control her mouth, all her mixed emotions came blubbering out in a mean yet kind mess. She really didn’t mean to say something so awful to Ladybug’s face, but it was hard for her not to. The overwhelming sight of Ladybug brought on the spur and now she couldn’t take it back. 

Chat Noir, though he tried to focus only on the battle at hand, was distracted by all the questions he needed to ask Ladybug; all the things they needed to talk about so that he could get on with life. She was the only person he could talk to about his problems, she listened, she cared. Sure Rena helped him earlier that day but it was always Ladybug who made him feel better. And he always did the same for her. She probably needed to talk through some things after the battle as well, he thought. 

“Miraculous Ladybug!” 

Everything slowed down as Ladybug brought back her yo-yo and immediately began to fall. 

“Ladybug!” Chat cried as lurched forward to catch her. 

She looked up at him weakly...just as Marinette had yesterday. 

His panicked face stared down at her in the same way. 

“What’s wrong? What do I need to do? Should I take you to Fu? Will he know what to do, will he help?” Chat cried urgently as she tried to stand up on her own. 

“No, no I’m fine.” Ladybug stumbled to her knees. What was happening to her?

Rena and Carapace stood back in shock. Was she ok? Was this the sickness Chat was talking about? 

“C-Chat, I think I need to get to the hospital.” Ladybug mumbled as he picked her up. 

“Are you sure? Wouldn’t Master Fu be more help?” Chat began to run. 

“N-no,” she coughed. “I need to get back to the hospital. I’ll show you where.” 

Ladybug’s memories were flooding back. She knew that she couldn’t hold on much longer and that if she didn’t get back into her hospital bed before she feel back into her coma, her secret identity would be revealed, and that was not good. 

“W-What do you mean?” Chat landed on the roof of the hospital and began to run towards the elevator. 

“The window Chat, I left my window open!” Ladybug was struggling. Her body was in agony and it was getting harder and harder for her to stay awake. 

Chat panted as he made a sharp turn to the edge of the roof.

“Okay, okay, where is it?” He extended his staff down, ready to jump. 

“...t-the, the third f-floor, f-from the t-top. L-left s-s-side.” Ladybug had let her eyes close, her breath quivered. 

Chat pulled up his baton and ran to the other side of the roof. Jumping down, he was able to swing straight into the only open window. 

Immediately he turned to his lady to see if she was ok. 

Her face was as pale as Marinette’s and strange marks — cuts and bruises — had appeared on her face, ones very similar to Marinette’s. 

Chat looked up in confusion. 

The room he was in— it was Marinette’s.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And you thought my cliffhangers couldn’t get bigger


	12. What Could’ve Happened

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Something broke Luka  
> Something broke Chat Noir  
> Fu explains the magic of the healing tea  
> The mystery continues  
> Adrien performs a monologue.

Rose, Juleka, and Ivan went straight back to Juleka’s after school. As soon as the house boat was in sight, Luka ran out to meet them. 

“Are you guys ok? What happened to Marinette?” He held Juleka’s shoulders tightly as adrenaline surged through his veins. 

“We’re fine, but... Marinette’s not.” Rose sniffed. 

Luka let go of Juleka and stumbled backwards a little. 

“You ok?” Juleka asked as she watched her brother’s face turn pale. 

Luka looked up with a lag to the question. “Yeah, yeah I’m fine.”   
He then proceeded to sprint back to the house. 

Rose looked worriedly to Juleka as she stared at her brother in the distance. 

“Why don’t we come back later.” Ivan suggested, placing a hand on Rose. 

Rose let herself be guided away from Juleka as Ivan proceeded to walk her home. 

Juleka stood those several metres away from her home for a while. She had never seen her brother so distressed. Of course she understood why, it was just rough to see it. Luka truely cared about Marinette, Juleka knew that. But of course, she loved Adrien, and it seemed Adrien had begun to return her feelings. Luka knew this; Juleka told him everything. 

———

“Hey, you ok?” Juleka knocked on Luka’s door way. 

Luka jumped up from the bed. 

“Yeah, yeah I’m fine, I just- I’m just worried about her, that’s all.” Luka ran his hands threw his dulled blue hair. 

Juleka went and sat quietly on his bed as Luka began to pace around the room. 

“I mean, other people have been killed by that guy and here I am only now getting angry. Sure I was angry at him before, but now...I feel like I could rip his head off or something, you know?” 

Juleka smiled solemnly. “Things are different now that he’s hurt Marinette.” 

“Exactly. I mean he actually killed those other girls, at least Marinette is still alive.” Luka plopped himself next to his sister. 

“Miss Bustier told us that it was ok to feel like this. No one in our class knew any of those other girls, it didn’t really impact us as much as this did. Even though Marinette is alive, she said that we could still feel bad or whatever, it’s natural.” Juleka recalled her teacher’s insight. 

Luka sighed. “I just hope she is alive Jules, I mean, what if she doesn’t make it?” He turned to her. 

Juleka looked back at him, worried. “I hope she does.” 

“Marinette is so strong. She can fight this, she can fight death. She’s gonna live Jules, I know she is!” Luka stood up triumphantly. 

“You can be worried about her Luka.” Juleka reminded. 

“Marinette will live.” He stated firmly as he picked up his guitar. 

“Yes but what if she doesn’t, wouldn’t you want to see her or something?” Juleka stood up and approached him. 

Luka just rolled his eyes. “Marinette is fine.” He patted her shoulder as he left the room. A weak smile stained his face. 

Juleka scoffed, chasing after him. “You’re acting as if everything’s ok!”

“That’s cause it is, Marinette is fine Jules, I know it.” Luka continued to the bow of the ship. 

Juleka sighed. It was no use, he was in denial. His positive attitude towards life was always encouraging, but not in times like these. Not when their friend was in hospital. She just hoped that his jam session would help him get in touch with his emotion. 

———

“Quick Chat Noir!” Master Fu motioned for him to place Ladybug on the bed. 

But instead, Chat Noir felt his stomach sink and he nearly dropped her. 

Master Fu ran over to help him. 

“Snap out of it Adrien!” Master Fu cried. 

Chat Noir blinked to regain his focus. Ladybug needs me, he reminded himself. 

Adjusting his hold on the now unconscious Ladybug, Chat Noir ran over to the bed. Gently, he lay the girl down just as a beep sounded on his ring, and then another from her ears. 

Adrien stared at Marinette. 

There she was. Still. Quiet. Lifeless. 

Kneeling down by the bed, Adrien rested his shaking arms on the edge. 

A quivering breath. 

No, not my lady - The first thought he could comprehend. 

A small tear rolled down his cheek as he stared longingly at her closed eyes. 

He was so in this moment with Marinette that he didn’t notice Master Fu quickly checking that all the wires and tubes keeping Marinette alive had returned upon detransformation. 

He didn’t even notice Tikki struggling to fly up to the bench besides the bed. 

He was in his own world. Well, it was more like his world was collapsing before him. 

“Come on Adrien I’m starving!” Plagg whined, pulling on Adrien’s collar. 

But Adrien didn’t move. 

“Plagg get away from him, come eat this.” Tikki ordered. 

Master Fu had bought a twelve pack of chocolate chip cookies from the Dupain-Cheng bakery for Tikki to eat while she was with him. As soon as Marinette’s transformation dropped, Tikki used the last of her strength to fly over to the life source. 

“Wow sugar cube, you look awful.” Plagg commented as Tikki munched weakly on a cookie. 

Master Fu went over to them and hummed in agreement. “It seems Marinette’s wounds are becoming your wounds, just as a broken Miraculous can cause those who use it to take upon its wounds.” 

“Marinette must be really hurt.” Tikki winced as she moved a little closer to the cookies. 

“Some healing tea will fix you right up.” Master Fu smiled as he poured a small cup of tea for the kwami. 

Tikki gladly took the tea, not waiting for it to cool before chugging it down. 

Within seconds she was up flying around the room. Plagg smiled softly, that was the Tikki he knew. 

But before she could come back down to the table with Plagg, she was stopped by the sight of Marinette. 

“Master, why doesn’t the healing tea work the same for Kwamis as it does humans?” Tikki asked sorrowfully. 

Master Fu sighed as he finished packing up his teapot and teacups. “Kwamis are small creatures, created from magic. The tea helps them heal completely because it to is magic. Humans are not made of magic. The tea only works on Miraculous holders because they have taken on their magical transformation and thus become partly magic.” He explained. 

Tikki didn’t respond, she had found herself stuck in the same trance as Adrien. 

“Come on Tikki, we must go now.” Master Fu walked over to the Kwami. 

“B-but I thought you said I could stay with Marinette?” She cried urgently. 

Master Fu hung his head. “Marinette can’t protect the earrings while she’s unconscious. As soon as she wakes up, I’ll let you stay.” 

Tikki sniffed. “Yes Master.” She let herself be drawn in by the earrings as Master Fu removed them from Marinette. 

Fu then turned to Adrien, then to Plagg. 

“I told you Master, this would’ve been a lot easier on him yesterday.” Plagg flew over to the statue-like boy. 

“Just make sure he comes to see me later. I need to talk to him about all this and what he needs to do.” 

Plagg nodded. 

“Adrien,” Master Fu turned back to Adrien and placed his hand on his shoulder. “It’s time we go.” 

Adrien snapped back to reality with Master Fu’s touch. He stared at the man, pure sorrow on his face. 

“We can come back tomorrow, but we need to leave before a nurse comes.” 

“I-I can’t leave.” Adrien began to stand up. “I can’t leave her here!” 

“Adrien please calm down. I know it’s a lot to take in-“

“A lot to take in?! I thought you said Ladybug was sick? I thought you said you were Marinette’s uncle?” Adrien raised his voice and began to pace around the room. 

“I only told you that to keep your identities safe.” 

Adrien took a deep breath. 

“Adrien come on, let’s go.” Plagg pulled his shirt towards the window. 

Adrien looked back at Master Fu, distressed. 

“I promise Adrien, I’ll explain everything back at my house. We can’t talk about it here.” He whispered urgently, holding the door handle as he wanted to leave. 

Adrien turned back to the window blankly. 

“Transform Adrien.” Plagg had to remind.

“Plagg claws out.” Adrien mumbled. 

Master Fu watched Chat Noir leave the room before exiting himself. 

———

“The akuma threat is over, you are safe to leave.” An announcement rang through on the hospital speaker. 

Alix, Kim, Maylèn, and Max left the hospital in the mass exodus. 

“Something definitely is up.” Alix stayed firmly once they had reached their bench. 

“And I thought Chat Noir looked sick this morning.” Kim exclaimed as he flopped heavily across the metal seat. 

“I wonder if they’re both sick.” Maylèn suggested. 

“Possibly. There could be a flu virus going around.” Max pulled out his phone to do some research. 

“Oh like the one Nino and Adrien have?!” Kim sat up right. 

Alix just rolled her eyes. 

“I’m not sure, Ladybug looked a little sicker than just a flu.” Maylèn took the opportunity to sit. 

“I’ll say, look at this!” Max quickly held up his phone. “Ladybug past out after the battle was over! Nadia didn’t cover on the live action news feed we watched in the hospital.”

“Woah! She looks dead!” Alix bursted out. 

People walking past gave her a look a concern before continuing with their day. 

“She really does look awful.” Maylèn said in a much more quiet voice after witnessing the reaction Alix got. 

“I reckon her and Chat Noir have the same disease. One of them must’ve got it and gave it to the other because they make out constantly.” Kim deduced. 

Alix couldn’t argue with that. 

“But what is it? Ladybug looked a lot worse than Chat Noir, does that mean Chat Noir could pass out to?” Maylèn questioned. 

“The virus probably has stages and Chat Noir is in the lower phase, whereas Ladybug either hasn’t reacted well or is in the final stage.” Max explained. 

“Wait a minute, does that mean Ladybug could die?” Kim was full on concern. How could the saviour of Paris be killed by something he couldn’t even see? She was in the final stage which meant she was going to drop dead any minute, right?

Alix smacked her forehead. “She’s not in the final stage of life! She had a rough day, probably just wanted to stay home, get better, but no, an akuma came, she fought it, used up lots of her energy, then past out after, simple as that.” Alix laid it out in simple terms for him. 

“Ah, guys...” Maylèn drew the other’s attention to a black figure in the sky. 

It was Chat Noir! And he was carrying Ladybug! 

“Is she dead?” Alix questioned. 

“No, she just had a rough day.” Kim replied in a mocking tone. 

Alix poked her tongue out and gave him a dirty look. 

“You think he’s taking her to the hospital?” Maylèn asked the group. 

“I wouldn’t have thought superheroes just wander into hospitals.” Max was the only one to answer. 

“Maybe it’s more serious than we thought?”

“Hang on,” Alix wanted to review their findings, “Ladybug and Chat Noir are sick, Marinette is in hospital, Alya could be hurt as well, ...or maybe she’s just emotionally hurt?” Alix raised her eyebrows at her new idea. “Maybe she saw something, something that made her...distressed? No, overwhelmed? Eh, maybe upset?” 

“Maybe she saw the Dark Hood nearly kill Marinette!” Maylèn exclaimed, shocked at her discovery. “She’s got PTSD!”

“Don’t sound so excited.” Kim remarked at the chirpy girl. 

“Sorry, this detective stuff is just so exhilarating.” Maylèn apologised meekly. 

Alix smiled. “That’s more likely than Alya begins attacked as well, ‘cause didn’t the heroes say that it was her that called them?” 

“Exactly, she probably saw Marinette and called for help. I can’t believe she watched her best friend being beaten up.” Maylèn sniffed. 

“Well she did the right thing. She’s probably the reason Marinette is still alive.” Alix patted her on the back in a comforting way. 

“So you’re saying Alya’s not got this Ladybug and Chat Noir flu?” Kim was puzzled. 

“No Kim, Alya took the day off because she saw the Dark Hood nearly murder Marinette. Thus Nino stayed home to comfort her.” Max explained. 

“Oh.” 

“Yeah, but we can’t be sure just yet. A good detective never jumps to conclusions without solid evidence.” Alix began to pace. “All we need to do is ask Alya what happened. Maybe she can tell us what’s going on with Ladybug and Chat Noir, and Adrien for that matter.” 

“You think she’ll want to talk about it?” Maylèn asked hesitantly. 

Alix hummed in thought. “Probably not.” 

The group went silent as they thought about their predicament. 

“Maybe we could ask Miss Bustier what happened. I reckon she knows everything.” Kim suggested. 

“She would never tell us, she’s good at keeping secrets.” Alix shook her head. 

Another moment of silence past before Max spoke up. 

“Perhaps we could ask Chat Noir?” He said, pointing to the sky. 

Everyone looked up once again. 

“Where’s Ladybug?” 

———

“She sacrificed herself. Of course she would! Ladybug wouldn’t suggest anyone but herself. How could I have thought otherwise. I actually believed that she was sick, that her sickness was the reason she wasn’t acting like herself. But that was the most Ladybug thing to do. She sacrificed herself, putting all her trust in the team she had formed. But I guess that’s where she went wrong. We are nothing without her. But she was there the whole time? Of course, she was the one to organise us in the cafeteria! She did her best to prepare us, but that still wasn’t good enough. We all let her down and then blamed her for it. That was what she was afraid of. That’s why she crashed Monday night. That’s why Marinette looked distressed at school. She was afraid that everyone would think it was her fault if her plan failed, if she let the murderer run wild over the streets of Paris, if she just couldn’t protect the city. Everyone would blame Ladybug. And that’s exactly what’s happened. Everyone thinks it’s Ladybug’s fault that Marinette’s in hospital. They blame her for not being there. Everyone thinks that she just didn’t care about the whole murderer situation. I mean, she suggested Marinette lure him out! Of course we would be angry, of course we would blame her. She let a citizen get hurt, a hero shouldn’t do that. It’s our job to protect the city and everyone in it. Ladybug didn’t protect Marinette, she didn’t do her job! She didn’t protect everyone in Paris.  
What am I doing? I can’t think like this! Marinette really was the best person to lure out the murderer even if it meant no Ladybug. Then again, it seems we needed Ladybug more than we thought. We can’t blame her for it though! She did her best and Paris is safe. But Marinette’s not. She’s lying lifeless in a hospital bed with everyone saying it’s her fault. I guess in a way it is. It’s Marinette’s fault for organising the take down. It’s Marinette’s fault for stepping out in the rain. It’s even Marinette’s fault for not letting me walk her home! It’s all Ladybug’s fault. Yet, it was her fault for trusting us. She actually believed in us to protect her, and we let her down. It’s our fault she ended up in hospital. It’s our fault that we’re now blaming Ladybug. If we had worked as a team, what a different outcome:   
“Marinette, are you alright?” I would asked.   
“Yeah, I’m fine. Congrats on stopping the murder!” She would reply.   
“Chat, you take care of this guy and I’ll take Marinette back to school.” Queen Bee would then say.   
I would smile at Marinette before calling the cops to come take the murderer away.   
“Great job guys! I’ll tell Ladybug that it’s all over.” Rena would cheer.   
Carapace would nod in agreement.   
I suppose Ladybug would appear on the scene then. Chloe would just leave Marinette to come straight back.   
“Sorry I’m late guys, but it looks like you’ve got it covered!” Ladybug would chirp. I would smile lovingly at her as the criminal was thrown into the police van.   
“You really missed a good fight buggabo.” I would sigh.   
She would smile. “I got caught up at home.” She would lie gracefully. “Thank goodness you were all here to protect Marinette, I’m sure she’s very grateful.”   
I wouldn’t think anything of the comment and casually rest my arm on her shoulder. “How about we go tell the city that they’re safe now?” I would turn to the rest of the team.   
“Sounds good.” Ladybug would agree with a flick of my bell.   
Off we would go, a celebration in order.   
I would wake up the next day, giddy. Marinette would be waiting in the seat behind me. Alya would be chatting her ear off about what happened and how she got a secret scoop from Rena Rouge. Nino would listen in and smile at his memories.   
Marinette would pretend she knew nothing. As would I.   
Life would go on, smoothly and safely. Everyone would be happy. No one would hate Ladybug. Everything would be as it should be.   
But that’s not what happened. We all let Marinette and Ladybug down, and now she’s the one suffering. How could I have done this. It’s Ladybug’s job to protect Paris...and it’s my job to protect Ladybug.”


	13. How Much Did You Hear?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien can’t sleep. Alya knows herbal tea helps him concentrate though.  
> Alya and Nino are very confused.  
> Luka plays pop songs when he’s nervous/worried/depressed/sad — make it cannon

Adrien paced around Master Fu’s living room, all his emotions going at each other as he tried to figure out how he felt about everything. It was a lot to take in especially when he still wasn’t over the fact that after everything, Marinette ended up in hospital. 

Fu watched and listened silently to Adrien as he voiced his many thoughts. He was going to wait until the boy was ready to hear what he had to say. Hopefully Adrien was ready to do what was necessary. But he needed to clear his mind for the task. He needed to be ready. 

Tikki and Plagg talked quietly in the background. 

“You think he’ll be ok?” Plagg asked, slightly worried as the boy wore through Master Fu’s floor boards. 

Tikki sighed. “He’s just trying to figure out his emotions. You think about it, Ladybug was going against everything she believed, he would’ve felt pretty negative against her.”

“Oh believe me, he did. You should’ve seen him, he was so mad at her for suggesting Marinette even be apart of it.” 

“Exactly, but now he’s going to feel guilty for thinking that she was anything less than he thought. He loves her, he always had. But it was at the time when he began to question his love for Ladybug that he fell in love with Marinette. And to top everything off, he saw it as Ladybug’s fault that Marinette ended up in hospital.”

“Are you saying that he was more in love with Marinette at that point?” 

Tikki nodded. “Marinette was acting like the old Ladybug that he was missing, so naturally, he drifted more towards her than the uncharacteristic Ladybug.”

“Wow. This must be so confusing for him.” Plagg laughed a little. “I did tell him not to be mad at Ladybug, but he was just so in the dark about everything. Like before, Marinette was the only certain thing he had, and then she got hurt and he lost that certainty. He got really frustrated.”

“The poor thing. Now he’s realised that the two people he cares about are the same.” Tikki sighed as she stared aimlessly at the boy. 

“I guess- I guess she always meant well.” Adrien stated firmly, ceasing his pacing. 

“She did Adrien. She never meant for anyone to get hurt, but even Ladybug can’t do everything.” Master Fu gladly welcomed his conclusion. 

Adrien smiled. 

“Come, sit.” Master Fu motioned for Adrien to sit opposite from him on the floor. 

Adrien sat and Plagg flew down onto his lap. 

“Usually I only let older, more experienced Ladybugs and Chat Noirs know each other’s identities, but this is a very delicate situation. I have decided that you can keep your Miraculous if you look after Marinette.” Fu stated frankly. 

Adrien furrowed his brows in thought. “You mean I could loose my Miraculous for finding out her identity?” He questioned, a bit disgusted. 

“It’s not safe for either of you if you know one another’s identities.” Master Fu quickly said. Then he sighed to lower the tension. “You two are so young, I don’t want to have you worrying about keeping your lives separate. You already do, but together, it’s harder to keep your world separated from your friends and family. I know you two could work through anything but I never wanted this hero stuff to put strain on your normal lives, and knowing each other’s identities would do that.” He explained calmly. 

Adrien hummed in agreement. “So I guess after Marinette gets better, I’ll have to give back my Miraculous.” He looked up sorrowfully. 

“Now let’s not be too hasty. If you two can manage to keep your identities to yourselves and not let Paris know anything has changed — no seeing Marinette as Chat Noir or Ladybug as Adrien — if you manage to keep your worlds separate, I would think you deserve the Miraculous.”

Adrien nearly jumped up for joy. “You mean it?”

Master Fu nodded. “Yes Adrien, but remember, I only let you find out who Ladybug is to protect her.” The mood turned serious. Adrien calmed down. “You are to help her get to the battle, make sure she does as little work as possible, and then as soon as she’s done her Miraculous Ladybug, return her to the hospital as fast as you can. I need to stay at the hospital to make sure no one enters the room while Marinette is gone.”

“Got it, bring her to the akuma, bring her back.” Adrien repeated, determined. 

“And remember to protect her during the battle, she is still Marinette under the costume and a hard blow could set back her recovery.” Master Fu reminded. 

Adrien nodded. 

“Now, it’s getting late,” Master Fu remarked as he caught a glimpse of the dark world outside his window, “go home and get a good nights rest.” Fu stood up to lead Adrien out the door. 

Adrien let a laugh slip at the thought of him actually sleeping tonight. 

“Have you got an excuse for your absence from school today?” Master Fu asked quickly before the boy left. 

Adrien cringed in thought. “I’m thinking a simple flu bug or something.” 

Master Fu nodded. “Very well. Thank you again Adrien for being so understanding towards this.” He smiled. 

Adrien returned the thanks before transforming and sprinting off onto the rooftops of Paris. 

———

Alya and Nino de-transformed in an ally and just stared at each other. 

Chat Noir and Ladybug has disappeared without a word.  
Chloe was refusing to play hero.  
And they were just left to return the akumatised victim home safely. 

“Wanna go to mine?” Nino asked with a shrug. 

Alya shrugged in agreement before the too casually walked out onto the street. 

“Wow, it’s later than I thought, look, the sun’s about to set.” Nino noticed as they walked. 

Alya merely hummed in agreement. 

Nino gave her a puzzled look. Alya loved sun sets, surely she wanted to go somewhere romantic to watch it. 

“What’s up babe?” Nino turned and began to walk backwards in front of Alya. 

Alya just smiled at his antics. “Nothing, I’m just tired.” She yawned. 

Nino glared at her sceptically. 

“You know, there’s always gonna be akuma attacks, Ladybug and Chat Noir will always show up, and you can talk to them then.” Nino smiled, knowing exactly what was bothering her. 

Alya just laughed. “How do you always know what I’m thinking?” She ruffled his hair playfully. 

“I’m just amazing!” He remarked, swinging back around to her side. 

She proceeded to rest her head on his shoulder. It was nice like this, just the two of them. Sure it had been a hectic week, but they got through it together. They faced their biggest challenge as people and as a couple, holding one another’s hand. They were beginning to see that the worst was over, and their relationship had withstood that. They knew now, anything was possible. They knew any curve ball life would through would be easy to hit. Or so they thought.  
“Everything is going to be ok.” 

Nino hummed in agreement as he wrapped his arm around his girlfriend. 

———

The next day in homeroom, Alix and Maylèn were discussing what they had found out yesterday, with Kim putting in his two bits now and then. 

“I say we just ask Alya what she thinks, she does run the Ladyblog, she probably knows everything.” Kim suggested once they had hit a wall in information. 

Alix gave Maylèn a concerned look. “Do you think she’ll want to talk about it?” 

The three turned their gaze to the red haired girl across the room. 

Alya didn’t notice the three pairs of eyes staring her down, analysing her, as she chatted with Nino.

“I really can’t read her, she could be broken inside.” Maylèn sighed. 

“What are you guys doing?” Rose chirped as she walked up to her seat behind Alix and Maylèn. 

“We’re seeing if Alya would mind us asking her questions about Marinette.” Alix admitted, her eyes reluctantly drifting away from the back of Alya’s head. 

“Oh, ok.” Rose smiled, skipping the rest of the way to her seat. 

“How’s Luka doing Juleka?” Rose plopped down next to her emo friend. 

Maylèn began to eavesdrop. 

“He’s not too good. I’m really worried about him Rose.” Juleka mumbled. 

“What’s wrong with Luka?” Maylèn turned to the girls, curious. Maybe he had the same disease as Ladybug and Chat Noir! 

“He totally freaked out yesterday when we told him about Marinette.” Rose explained beginning to rub Juleka’s back comfortingly. 

“I’ve never seen him so worried, he’s been playing catchy pop songs all day.”

Rose gasped. 

Maylèn gave a confused look. 

“Luka never plays catchy pop songs, he’s obviously really worried about Marinette.” Rose explained. 

Maylèn nodded, still a little skeptical. 

“Hey look.” Alix interrupted with a whisper. 

Maylèn followed Alix’s gaze to the door. 

Adrien stumbled lazily into class. His head was hung and his hair messy. 

Maylèn turned to Alix, brows raised. 

“Dude looks destroyed.” Kim commented with a snicker. 

“Maybe he’s got that virus that Ladybug and Chat Noir have.” Maylèn suggested. 

Alix scrunched her face in thought. 

“He probably just stayed up all night.” Kim said before Alix could voice her opinion. 

Maylèn huffed. “You’re no fun Kim. There could be a deathly contagious disease spreading and we’re all about to get it.”

“Eh, maybe not.” Alix went against her own logic as she watched Adrien’s face fill with colour as he took a sip of a hot drink. 

Maylèn gaped at her. 

“What? Just think about, how could Adrien get a disease from Ladybug and Chat Noir if he was home all day?” Alix explained. 

Maylèn thought for a bit before agreeing. “I guess he probably just got a cold and stayed home yesterday. I’m surprised not many others got sick from that rainy day.” 

Alix hummed in agreement before turning to the front as Mlle Bustier started home room. 

———

“Woah dude, rough night?” Nino asked as Adrien fumbled into the seat next to him. 

Adrien grunted a reply. 

As much as he tried to sleep, Adrien couldn’t help but stew on the fact that Ladybug was in hospital...and everything having to do with that. 

“Here Adrien.” Alya held out a thermal cup from behind him. “It’s a herbal tea.” She smiled. 

Adrien smiled back genuinely with an uncontrollable yawn following. 

Alya laughed. “Looks like we weren’t the only ones who stayed up all night Nino.” 

Nino gave Alya a cheeky grin and wiggled his eye brows. 

Adrien was too focused on not spilling the tea (figuratively and literally) to notice the couple beside him. 

“Ok class, settle down.” Mlle Bustier clapped a few times to get the class’s attention. 

Everyone turned to the front and quietened down. 

“Good morning everyone. As you know, the past days have been quite eventful but I’m hoping that today we can focus on our work. That being said, the school counsellor is holding counselling sessions throughout the day. There’s a sign up sheet on my desk to book a session, you can write your name down after home room. Now, some other announcements: gym today will be at the stadium, and study period will be in C7 instead of the library.” Mlle Bustier quickly glanced down at a paper on her desk. “Oh and I thought it would be a good idea to make Marinette a get well soon card as a class. So if some students would like to come in at lunch to help me with that, that would be great, then we can all sign it in Monday’s homeroom, sound good?” 

The class was filled with excited chatter, so Mlle Bustier took that as a ‘yes’. 

The bell sounded and students quickly stood to leave for first class. 

“Alya, Nino, Adrien, can I see you for a moment?” Mlle Bustier stopped the three before they could leave. 

Alix gave them a suspicious look as they moved out of the way of the door. 

“I want you three to see the school counsellor.” Mlle Bustier advised once everyone else had left the room. “I just think that it would be best that you got some proper support seeing as you actually saw Ladybug and Chat Noir defeat the Dark Hood.”

Alya and Nino turned to Adrien, shocked. 

“You saw it?” Alya gasped. She couldn’t imagine being an unlucky civilian to witness their battle. 

Adrien bit his lower lip to stop him from crying, an urge he didn’t know why he suddenly had. 

“Oh Adrien.” Alya threw her arms around him, a tear being shed between them. 

Adrien hugged back tighter. 

Alya then realised what he must’ve seen: heroes arguing on the roof while Marinette was being mugged. He must’ve been pretty angry at those heroes for acting the way they did. He must’ve been pretty angry at her. Alya stiffened. She thought she’d have to listen to Marinette’s well deserved complaints, but the only person who would be more angry at her for letting Marinette end up in hospital than Marinette herself... was Adrien. 

Adrien felt the shift in their hug and wondered why. He knew Alya and him didn’t actually see it, that was part of the reason why they weren’t able to stop it. So why had she become jagged? What had she realised? 

The two pulled away and wiped their tears with solemn smiles. 

“I’ve booked three consecutive sessions this morning for you all. If you’re not in counselling, you can catch up on study in the library.” Mlle Bustier informed. 

“Thank you.” Alya smiled at Mlle Bustier sweetly. 

“No problem.” She smiled back. 

——— 

Alix left homeroom quickly and jumped out to the side. Waiting for Maylèn to walk past, she grabbed her friend and pulled her away from the group. 

“Wha-“

“Shh.” Alix pressed a finger against Maylèn‘s lips. 

The two ducked under the window and turned their listening ears on. 

“...it would be best that you got some proper support seeing as you actually saw Ladybug and Chat Noir defeat the Dark Hood.”

“Did you hear that?!” Alix nearly screamed. “We were right, Alya saw Marinette and the Dark Hood!”

“Shhh!” Maylèn calmed her down. “So did Adrien and Nino it seems like.” She added. 

Alix nodded a little too eagerly. “It all makes sense now. They had the day off because they had PTSD like you said, and that’s why Adrien looked wrecked, and why Alya and Nino won’t stop talking.” 

The two began to walk away from the door, having heard all they needed to. 

Maylèn hummed in agreement before her excited expression turned sour. “This still doesn’t explain Ladybug and Chat Noir. And if Alya just stayed home yesterday, she’ll have no idea about it.” 

Alix matched Maylèn’s discouraged expression. “I guess we need to find a new information source then.” 

“Hang on, I mean, you did say that Alya and Nino haven’t stopped talking, and they did see Ladybug and Chat Noir the day before the press conference...” Maylèn began to let the light bulb hit Alix. 

“Are you saying if we just eavesdrop on their conversation, we’re bound to get a little primary source information? But wait, didn’t the heroes say that Ladybug was away on a secret mission during the fight?” 

Maylèn shrugged. “Chat Noir was still there. There has to be something that the public hasn’t been told; something that we haven’t picked up on.” 

Alix was still a little skeptical if the idea. “I don’t know, I don’t think we should listen in on their private conversations.” 

“Come on Alix! Where’s your detective spirit? A detective never stops until she’s found out the truth.” Maylèn cried out victoriously. 

Alix wasn’t motivated. “I think I’ve had enough sleuthing. You can go on without me.” 

Maylèn didn’t want to become discouraged, but Alix was the original leader of the junior detectives. And what was the point continuing the investigation if Alix wasn’t helping her? Then again, she had never felt so alive! Playing detective gave her a rush like nothing else. The chase, the hunt, the search for the truth! It was all so exciting, and she thought Alix thought so to. But obviously not as much as her now. 

———

Alya sighed. “I can’t concentrate like this. I’m worried about Ladybug.” 

Alya needed something to focus on. She couldn’t start to worry if Adrien had over heard her identity being revealed. If she thought about said topic, even just a little, it would be like opening a can of worms. And she did not want to be so distracted and jumpy around him that he found out anyway. So Ladybug it was. And if she was being honest, she wished there was something else to keep her mind busy than the confusion she felt towards Ladybug. 

Nino pursed his lips together. “I know babe, but we can talk about it later.” Was Nino’s gentle way of reminding her to lower her voice. 

Alya glanced around the empty library. “I just need to know if she’s ok.” She pleaded for Nino to listen to her distress. 

Nino sighed. He guessed there was no way out of it. It wasn’t like they could get caught talking about their hero lives, the conditions were the best they were going to get at school: Adrien was with the counsellor and they were given the opportunity to study while they waited for their turn. But Nino always wanted to be cautious of his secret identity. He understood Ladybug’s concern for them and their secret lives (apart from that one time he let out Alya’s real name a few days ago). And besides, he never liked to talk about hard topics such as this. He would gladly listen to Alya voice her thoughts, but he never really like to express his own. She was his girlfriend though, and he loved her. 

“Ok.” He gave in. 

Alya smiled graciously. “Well do you think she’s ok? I mean, she really wasn’t herself during the battle yesterday and then when she past out, well do you have any idea of where Chat Noir took her?” 

Nino pondered for a bit. “I suppose she was still sick, like Chat Noir had said.”

“Yeah, that’s what I thought, but then why didn’t she show up to the Dark Hood battle. I mean, I know it wasn’t an akuma or anything, but it was pretty important don’t you think?” Alya shut her book dramatically, it wasn’t like she was reading it anyway. 

“For sure, probably even more so. So yeah, why did her sickness stop her from coming to Marinette but not a simple akuma attack?” Nino began to get angry. Alya did have a point.

Alya stared blankly at some books on the back wall while she thought.  
“She didn’t look good though, it must be something really bad.” 

Nino hummed in agreement. 

“Still, if she was willing to fight an akuma like that, than what made the Dark Hood battle any different? I mean sure, we were the first ones to know because Marinette came up to us, but Chat Noir showed up and he wasn’t there.”

Nino sighed. “Well, I guess you’ll have to ask her.” He really couldn’t think of any explanation. Why would Ladybug do that?

“Ah guys,” Adrien interrupted the extremely confidential conversation. 

Alya and Nino shared a nervous glance. How long had he been standing there?! What had he overheard?!


	14. Criminal Minds: Miraculous edition

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> On this weeks episode of Criminal Minds, I find out how to spell ‘Mylène’ and Mylène does some investigating of her own.   
> Luka decides he’s too cool for school.  
> And Adrien undertakes an interrogation; will he be found guilty?! Keep reading to find out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I’ve never seen Criminal Minds, don’t really know what happens, assuming it’s some kinds of cop show. Enjoy!

“I um, I just came to- Ah, the counsellor, she- Nino it’s your turn.” Adrien quickly spat out. 

Nino just stared back at him. 

No one moved.   
Alya and Nino needed to know they were safe. They needed confirmation that Adrien hadn’t heard a thing. 

Adrien darted his eyes between the two. Of course he had heard everything, he only interrupted them because he couldn’t listen to them anymore. They were getting angry at Ladybug and his stomach suddenly began to twist itself into an uncomfortable knot. He never planned to interrupt them, but when he came in and overheard what they were talking about, he quickly hid, not wanting them to think that he heard anything. But then of course he couldn’t wait longer than he had to walk in as if he had heard nothing.  
He just hoped they played it off and pretended he didn’t he hear anything, because that’s what he was planning to do. 

Alya had had enough of the awful silence. “How much did you hear Adrien.” She demanded bluntly. 

Adrien bit his tongue. He needed to remain cool. Just pretend nothing happened, just play dumb. 

“Ah, I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Adrien quickly sat down at their table to open his books. 

Alya slammed his history book shut, nearly jamming his fingers. “What did you hear Agreste?” Her tone a sarcastic friendly one. 

Adrien began to sweat bullets. “L-look, I didn’t hear anything, I swear!” His hands shot up in guilty innocence. 

Alya just rolled her eyes. “Nino, you go, I’ll straighten this whole thing out.” 

Nino got up quickly, he didn’t care how the situation ended, he just didn’t want to be involved. 

Once Nino had sprinted out of the library, Alya leaned across the table to stare Adrien in the eyes, hoping to crack him. 

After that didn’t work, she pulled out somewhat of a ‘good cop’. “Look Adrien, I need to know what you overheard so I can tell you the truth. I just don’t want you spreading rumours that aren’t true.”

“I would never.” Adrien defend himself, quite offended. 

“I know, I know, I just, well I know how somethings can be taken out of context. I don’t care what you heard, I just want a chance to explain myself.” She gently placed her hand on his. 

He hung his head in surrender (panicked thought). What was he going to say? He barely remembered what they had said, only that it was against Ladybug.

“I-I honestly didn’t hear anything. Just something about Ladybug was all.” Adrien kept his head down as not to give her any tells. 

Alya took the chance breathe out a silent breath of relief. “So why did you panic?” She had to be sure he didn’t know or think anything. She needed to know if her secret identity had been revealed. 

“I-I j-just,” Adrien was glad his face was hidden. “I thought I heard something about Mari-Ladybug! Something about Ladybug being...sick.” Adrien cursed himself for being such a bad liar and impromptu actor. 

Alya was quiet. Adrien peered up once his face was no longer red to see why she wasn’t saying anything. 

“Y-you know d-don’t you.” She whispered. 

He didn’t know how to respond. What did he know? Did she know Marinette’s identity as well? Master Fu did say that he didn’t let Chat Noir and Ladybug know each other, not Rena Rouge and Ladybug. But would Marinette really tell Alya such a big secret? They were best friends, but Ladybug was always so pedantic about identities. Or maybe that was just between them. Ladybug did know Rena and Carapace’s identities, she had to to give out Miraculouses. But then again- 

“Just say it! You know, don’t you.” Alya interrupted him. 

Adrien looked around for any sign of hope. 

“Could you be more specific?” He asked quietly as not to set her off. 

Alya rolled her eyes as she calmed down. “Well I’m not going to say it incase you don’t actually know.” 

Adrien pursed his lips together. “Well then I can’t answer your question.” He smiled, not ready to laugh yet. 

“Adrien what else could you possibly have gotten from what Nino and I were talking about?” Alya was fed up, she knew he knew, she had thought as much since the morning, but she was still hesitant to say so out loud, she needed confirmation.

Adrien thought hard. If he was just Adrien, not Chat Noir, what would he have thought about their conversation? There was a lot of Ladybug. But there was also a lot of hero talk. Stuff a normal person, like Adrien, would find suspicious if he didn’t know their identities. Wait, that meant Alya thought he knew their identities! He didn’t want her to think that, he didn’t want to know. Only Chat Noir could know, not normal Adrien. If he got more involved in the hero world, than he would be more likely to be found out as Chat Noir, and he couldn’t have that. Especially with Ladybug in hospital. He had the duty of protecting her and keeping their identities safe. He couldn’t let Alya know he knew who she was.   
But what else could he say? 

“Fine.” He sighed. “I overheard you say that Ladybug was sick.” Genius. 

“That’s not what I’m talking about and you know it.” 

Maybe not so genius. 

Adrien didn’t know what to do. He just couldn’t admit to her that he knew her secret. He couldn’t get involved.   
So he ran. 

And of course, Alya chased after him. 

Up and down the hallways they sped with Adrien holding his place up ahead.  
Alya took a moment to scream, “Get back Agreste!” In a tone that made Adrien think he was under arrest.   
They ran up stairs and then zoomed down. With not one teacher complaining about the sound.   
Then finally Adrien trip and that was the end of that, as Alya didn’t learn from his mistake and landed on him with a splat. 

“Fine!” Adrien screamed. His arms were pinned down by her strong lady hands and he didn’t dare move from that cold concrete ground.   
“I know who you are, I know who Nino is, just please don’t involve me, I don’t want to know, I wish I knew nothing, erase my memory please, please take it back! I’m innocent! I know nothing!” Adrien may have taken it a little too far. 

Alya, being severely out of breath, took a moment to compose herself, and she let Adrien do the same. Together, they walked back silently to the library. 

Adrien hated the walk back more than the chase there. She could say anything! She could do anything. But she didn’t and wasn’t. She had chosen to leave him in the complete and utter darkness of her reaction. Of all the things she had said and done that made him freak out, this really took the cake. His hands were practically shaking and his teeth chattering. 

She pulled the chair out. It’s squeaking sped up Adrien’s heart rate.   
Sitting down on it, Alya pulled herself into the table. Adrien’s hand shook as he pulled out his own chair, trying not to look so scared. 

“Okay. Here’s what I’m going to do.” Alya said. 

Adrien let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. Her voice was like music to his ears. 

“You seem pretty eager to forget that Nino and I are superheroes so I’m going to let you work on that. I promise not to talk to you about hero stuff if you promise to treat me the exact same as you did before. That means no questions and no telling other people.” Alya continued. 

Adrien nodded eagerly. This was good. This was what he wanted, no involvement what so ever. But before he could forget the whole thing and start work, Alya began to talk about. 

“Now, I-I ah...how much did you see of that whole Dark Hood Marinette thing? It wasn’t much I hope.” As much as she hated to bring up her greatest failure in conversation, she wanted a chance to make things right. A chance to explain what happened, not that that would help her case. But she wanted a clear conscience, she couldn’t let him leave the library without her apology. 

Adrien was confused by the question. What did she mean? What did that have to do with what they were talking about? 

“Because if you saw a whole lot of it, you would’ve seen me and Nino, as superheroes that is. We— well we— I guess we just-“

“Alya it’s ok.” Adrien realised where she was going. He didn’t want her to feel guilty. He was just as much to blame, though she didn’t need to know that. But he couldn’t have her apologising to him about something that he was equally to blame for. “Heroes make mistakes. I know you did what you could in the moment, and I know you would do anything for Marinette. Besides, Queen Bee and Chat Noir are equally to blame, you can’t take everything on your shoulders.” He smiled sweetly. 

At this point, Alya was in tears. So Adrien reached out his hand and placed it gently on hers just as she had done to comfort him before.

“Please don’t apologise for doing or not doing something. I may have been there, watching it, but I didn’t do anything either. So really, I could blame myself for what happened to Marinette. And I guess I do. Because, like you say, ‘all that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good people do nothing’. I did nothing Alya, and I should’ve. And I know I’ll get over it one day, but for now, I’m just waiting until I can see Marinette so I can apologise.” 

“Oh Adrien. I’m sorry for jumping on you,“ Alya laughed through her tears, “I j-just-... well it’s been a rough couple of days.” Alya sniffed and wiped her nose with a half-hearted smile. 

Adrien smiled back weakly. He didn’t say anything. He let the moment speak for itself. Maybe having her know he knew would bring them closer in their friendship? Maybe they could give each other the support they both so desperately craved. Whatever happened, he knew he could trust Alya with or without their masks, and hopefully one day, he would be able to tell her and Nino his secret. That was the only thing he was still feeling guilty for, the only thing they hadn’t worked through in their conversation. He knew their identities and so it was only fair they knew his. But he couldn’t. Marinette needed him, she needed his protection, which meant he himself needed to stay safe as well. His identity would be shared to no one, no matter the guilt he felt for keeping his secret. Marinette was more important. 

Alya never expected to be so happy for Adrien to find out her secret identity. Before, she was so worried that Ladybug would take away her Miraculous after finding out that Queen Bee and Chat Noir knew. But it seemed Ladybug had more pressing issues at the moment. So if one secret identity was the cost for a closer friendship with someone who strangely understood how to make her feel better about Marinette, she would gladly oblige. Even if she lost her Miraculous latter, she didn’t really feel like a hero anymore anyway. Things would never be the same. 

“Hey, Alya, it’s your turn.” Nino casually strolled into the library, assuming everything had been sorted out. “Woah babe, you ok?” He rushed over upon seeing Alya’s wet cheeks and puffy eyes. 

“Yeah yeah I’m fine. Adrien knows by the way.” She shooed him off her as she stood up to leave. 

Nino turned to Adrien and tried not to loose the colour in his face. Alya had said it so casually, as if it didn’t matter, as if it didn’t change anything. 

“Ahhhh...” Nino didn’t know what else to say. 

“It’s fine Nino.” Alya whispered before pushing him down in her seat and leaving them. 

Adrien smiled guilty at Nino’s stunned face. “Sorry bud, I promise I wasn’t trying to find out, it just kinda happened.” Adrien tried not to get a wave of flashbacks to the moment Carapace screamed out Alya’s name. 

“Nah dude, i-it’s fine.” Nino tried to play it off casually. 

“You sure? You don’t want to talk about it or something?” Adrien offered. He knew Nino didn’t like to talk about feelings and stuff like this, but maybe after a counselling session, he was more open to it. 

“Nah dude I’m all good.” Nino didn’t make eye contact as he dragged his books over from the other side of the table. 

Adrien was worried for him. He hadn’t really thought Nino was affected by the Dark Hood mission, not as much as him and Alya anyway. Of course he was affected, but Carapace just seemed so focused on how Rena was or what was happening in the moment. He hadn’t really sat down with them and talked about how he was affected by it. This made Adrien sad for him. Nino was trying to be strong for Alya and he hadn’t realised how hurt he was. 

———

Mylène had once again forgotten her book for class and was granted permission to get it. That’s how she ended up searching through her locker during the first minutes of first class. 

In her rush, she didn’t notice two other teens who were hanging around the lockers. They were probably late to class, but they weren’t in such a hurry as Mylène was. 

The two teens in question were too focussed on their conversation to notice the girl come in. 

“Where are you?!” Mylène mumbled through her gritted teeth. Mylène rummaged through the mess that was her locker. 

A banana? Probably lunch   
There’s my eraser!   
My History text book, I was looking for you. We have a History test next week so I’ll need to remember to bring this home. History’s so boring though, I’m probably not going to study. Wait, focus Mylène.   
English,   
Maths,  
Geography,  
Where are you art sketch book?!

“-I just can’t believe she trusted us.” 

Mylène slowed down her search as her curiosity pressured her to listen to the conversation on the other side of the wall. 

“It’s our fault.” 

“I shouldn’t be listening.” Mylène quickly reminded herself, and continued to scour her locker. But she couldn’t ignore the voice for long. 

“...hurt real bad,” no, I can’t listen. “...Ladybug’s not ok.” Stop it Mylène. “...it’s our fault...” 

Mylène froze. Ladybug was hurt, not sick. Was she hurt during the battle? Who hurt her? Wait, they did! They hurt Ladybug, they said it was their fault! And that she trusted them? Who hurt Ladybug! 

Mylène left her book to look for the villains. 

She quietly shut her locker as not to startle them. Creeping, she stepped gently down the side pathway to find the row the voices were inhabiting. 

Isle after isle she past until she heard a noise. Running she turned the corner to capture her victim. But there was nothing. Just a swinging window, open and letting in a cool breeze. Mylène the detective had let her enemy escape and now she faced the embarrassment of reporting the failed stakeout to her boss. But what was this, a clue? An orange bracelet lay on the floor by the window sill. 

Mylène had a lead, maybe the mission was more of a success than first conceived. Or maybe it was a trap. Maybe the bracelet was left there on purpose, it was an easy find. Or perhaps-

“Mylène? What are you doing?” Alix interrupted Mylène’s episode of criminal investigation. 

Mylène — who was crouched down by the bracelet with a face that said she was in the middle of an interrogation — turn suddenly to the unauthorised guest. 

“I ah, I’m just ah, um...”

“You know what, I don’t really care, it’s cool. Miss just wants you back in class.” Alix waved off. 

Mylène reluctantly grabbed the bracelet (she wanted to find fingerprints) and left the crime scene to follow Alix. Then she turned back to grab her sketch book which was in her bag the whole time.   
Then she chased down Alix again to get to class.

———

Juleka sat quietly in art class waiting for Maylèn — her partner for that lesson — to retrieve her sketch book. Maylèn was always forgetting her books and her locker was so unorganised that it was a wonder how she ever found them. Juleka liked sitting alone in class as the students around her began their assignments. It gave her time to think of ideas before her partner became impatient and just wanted to start. Juleka liked to take her time thinking about the perfect possible project, this usually left her lagging behind and not handing in the task on time. The art teacher understood her perfectionistic ways and allowed her to take art supplies home to help her complete the task on time. 

However, her deep thought process was interrupted by the scene unfolding outside the classroom in the hallway. Juleka watched, jaw dropped as her brother was dragged by his ear to the principals office, a can of spray pain in his hand. 

Her heart sunk as she stared out the window. Luka had been so good lately. He had promised to her he was finished tormenting the cops. She hated seeing him in the holding cell and it was only a matter of time before all his warnings would pile up and he was sent to actual jail. She felt angry more than anything. She was angry at him for making her believe he would actually change. He was probably waiting to finish his community service delivering pizzas before he started vandalising again. How could he betray her like this? 

Then it clicked. Luka hadn’t got in trouble since he had met Marinette. True, his guitar helped him vent before that, but she would often see him in the principals office. His guitar distracted him and somewhat convinced him he could do something better with his life. But it was Marinette that truely turned his life around. And now Marinette was gone. So Luka had begun to act up again. 

Juleka quickly asked to be excused. She raced down the hall to her brother. 

He couldn’t do this. He couldn’t start acting like the old rebellious Luka just because Marinette was in hospital, he just couldn’t. 

Juleka waited at the door. 

“I knew you could never change!”

“Once a trouble student, always a trouble student.” 

The principal’s door flew open and Luka stormed out. 

“Luka wait!” She cried. 

“I don’t want to talk about it.” He grumbled, slamming the empty paint can on the ground. 

“Please Luka don’t do this! You promised me you had changed! Don’t go back there, you’re better than that!” Juleka grabbed his wrist to stop him. 

He threw her down. “Stay out of this Jules.” He ordered. 

“Luka no!” She pleaded, not giving up on her brother. 

“Look, I’m sorry you had to see me get in trouble. I just need space. Let me go, I’ll be home tonight. I promise.” Luka gently wiped her tears away and kissed her forehead before running out of the school building. 

Alix and Mylène ran to Juleka’s side as they were on their way back to the class room. 

“What’s wrong? What happened?” Mylène embraced her. 

Juleka merely sniffed and mumbled incoherently. 

“What happened?” Alix tried to decipher what was said. 

“Luka got in trouble.” Juleka mumbled a little bit louder and slower for her friends to hear. 

Mylène gasped. “Oh Juleka I’m sure that doesn’t mean-“ 

“Yes- yes it does, he’s run off again.” Juleka couldn’t bare to have hope, not when he had begged her to let him go. 

Mylène and Alix helped the poor girl up off the floor. They didn’t know what to say. Marinette’s encounter with death was affecting them all differently and no one quite knew how to help. Mylène especially got it, she was eavesdropping and bagging evidence like a crazy person. What had become of her? And Luka, well he flat out couldn’t handle it. He had run out of school before second period had even begun. And Juleka, well it was more the fact that her brother was turning to his old ways of reckless behaviour that had her scared. Alix was more or less in denial. She had played detective for a while, then her logical thinking brain kicked in and told her not to go too far. So she stopped and was walking around like nothing happened. 

“We should probably get to class.” Alix suggested as Mylène helped Juleka brush the floor off her clothes. 

They agreed and the three girls headed back to class silently wondering how things could ever go back to normal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Luka really is too cool for school.


	15. Confusion. Lots and Lots of Confusion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Could there be more who know that Alya is secretly Rena Rouge?  
> Search Party!  
> Ivan is very emotional.  
> What has happened to Chloe? ...You still won’t know after this long chapter.

Alix wandered into the classroom to help out with Marinette’s card and spotted Alya sitting alone. She felt sorry for her. 

She and Mylène had spied on her, Nino and Adrien that morning and had found out that she had seen the whole fight. She had watched Marinette get nearly beaten to death. She had seen the saviours of Paris working to protect her. Alya had seen things she wouldn’t wish upon her worst enemy. Alix was beginning to feel extremely bad for eavesdropping and making suspicions about her to the others. She felt bad for even organising their little detective group and now she fretted that Mylène was going to take it too far. 

“Hey Alya? Where’s Nino?” Alix causally sat down across from her with her lunch. 

Alya swallowed her own food and smiled. “He and Adrien went out for a boys date.” 

“Oh nice.” Alix commented, opening her packet of crisps. 

Alya nodded and continued eating. 

Award silence and avoidance of eye contact followed as neither girl could think of topics to discuss. Alix was simply too afraid to say anything to the broken girl. And Alya had spent so much time with Nino lately that she had forgotten what girls talk about. 

Then Alya dropped her fork in her salad. 

Alix looked up, startled. “What’s wrong?” She urged quickly. 

“Oh ah, n-nothing.” Alya quickly took back her shocked stare from a fellow classmate across the room. 

Alix turned to see what had scared her but saw nothing out of the ordinary. “What happened?” She begged. 

Alya swallowed, her gaze firmly on her salad. “I lost my bracelet this morning in the locker room. Nino and I were talking privately and we heard something, so we dove out the window cause it was kinda a very private conversation but anyway, I thought Nino was just being paranoid but I think my bracelet got caught on the edge or something and now Mylène has it which means she probably heard everything and so I really can’t have her find out that it’s my bracelet because then she’ll know it was me and Nino talking.” Alya spat out quickly. 

Alix took a moment to translate the panicked Alya talk to normal human. Then began to panic herself. If Mylène had overheard even a bit of Alya’s conversation, she was going to take it out of context and then go absolutely crazy with it. 

“What did you say?” Alix asked desperately. She needed to predict Mylène’s action so that she could stop her before anything bad happened. 

Alya froze again. Adrien already knew her secret. Mylène probably knew now as well. And now Alix was about to find out. Only a week ago, only Nino and Ladybug knew. Now it seemed the whole school would find out. She couldn’t have that. Secret identities were secret for a reason. 

“We were talking about Ladybug.” Simple yet effective. It would be perfectly normal for a couple to talk about a superhero, especially with all the media around her at the moment. 

Ask her what’s up with Ladybug! A voice in Alix’s head boomed. This was her chance to find out what had happened to her. She had so many questions. But Alya might not have felt like answering them. 

Alix waited a bit before talking. “So, do you think Ladybug is ok?” She put out hesitantly. 

Alya was somewhat relieved that her identity wasn’t questioned. She was also confused that Alix — who seemed so desperate for an answer before — basically ignored it and changed the topic. 

“I- I think Ladybug is-“ What was she supposed to say? What was she allowed to say? “Well why wouldn’t she be ok?” 

“Didn’t you see it? The akuma attack yesterday on the news, Ladybug collapsed after the fight.” 

“Oh, y-yeah I saw it. I don’t k-know, maybe she-“ Alya was panicking. What was she allowed to say to Alix? A part of her really wanted to be truthful and to have Alix’s opinion. But then her responsible hero side tried to warn her of the consequences. 

Alya sighed. “I don’t think Ladybug’s ok.” She whispered, giving in. “And I’m really scared.” 

Alix was taken back. Alya was actually opening up to her. She trusted her enough to tell her what she felt. Alix immediately forgot about the Marinette Mystery and listened only to be a good friend. 

“Really, what do you think is wrong with her?” 

“Well that’s just it, they’re not telling us. I’ve been trying to find out- for the Ladyblog, but no one tells me anything. I’m really worried about her.” Alya continued in her whisper. 

“By ‘they’, do you mean the heroes?”

“I mean Ladybug and Chat Noir. The other heroes have no idea what’s going on- I ah got an interview from Rena Rouge.” 

Alix was now worried. What was happening behind the scenes that the public, nor other heroes couldn’t even know about? What was wrong with Paris? What dangers were they about to face? What was Ladybug and Chat Noir hiding from everyone?

“Maybe it’s nothing, maybe we’re getting worked up over nothing.” Alix suggested calmly as she didn’t want Alya to worry; she had been through enough. 

“I suppose you’re right. But-“ Alya stopped herself. Alix didn’t need to know that Ladybug had been acting weird for some days before the take down. And they had stated at the press conference that she wasn’t present. There was just so much to the story that Alix’s detective skills could help her on. But no, involving a civilian in their hero business would only cause more trouble. 

“But what?” Alix prompted. 

“Oh it’s nothing.” Alya looked away wanting to drop the topic. 

Alix quickly felt guilty for pressuring her. Alya clearly had had enough. 

“I’m sure everything’s fine Alya. Ladybug has never let us down before.” Alix smiled triumphantly in an attempt to make Alya feel better. 

Alya smiled back with a hint of hope. 

———

After school, most of the class went to Juleka’s. Offering to help look for her brother, Max, Kim, Alix, Ivan, Mylène, Rose, Alya, Nino, and Adrien accompanied Juleka home to start their search. 

Nino and Adrien hung back from the group as they walked. 

“What’s up dude? Worried about Luka?” Nino noticed Adrien’s hung head and distant gaze. 

Adrien snapped out of his stupor at the question. “Oh ah y-yeah, L-Luka.” He fumbled. 

Nino smiled and threw his arm over Adrien’s shoulder’s. “Dude I know you’re worried about Marinette, it was a trick question.” He laughed. 

Adrien rolled his eyes. Of course Nino would try and cheer him up, even if it was just by laughing. The corner of Adrien’s lip turned up. He had missed Nino. Yes he had been with Nino for at least 80 percent of the week, but this feeling was different. This was the feeling of friendship. A friendship he had missed out on for the past three days. A friendship that reminded him of what things were like before the Dark Hood. The feeling gave him hope. Hope that maybe someday things would be back to normal. 

“I’m fine Nino.” Adrien patted him genuinely. “I’m more worried about you.” He admitted. 

Nino was taken back in almost disgust. “What? Why would you be dude?” 

“Nino, you’ve been there for Alya over these hard days. You’ve comforted her like a good friend would. And now your here for me. But have you ever been there for you? Have you taken time to, well I don’t know, process what’s happened?” Adrien pleaded with his eyes for Nino to be genuine with him. He wanted to help Nino even if Nino didn’t seem like he needed it. 

Nino was quiet in thought. Adrien’s question hit him more than any counsellor’s words could. But then an ache grew in his chest and his head became light. It was too much. Too much emotion to process. 

“I’m fine d-dude.” 

Adrien sighed. Hopefully he would think about it later. 

“Hurry up guys!” Alya called from the house boat. 

The boys turned simultaneously. 

“Race you!” “Race you!”

———

“I’ve printed out a map and allocated four routes for us to search efficiently in groups of threes or twos. Each route has several possible hiding place for Luka to be in. We will meet back here at 18 hundred hours. Everyone clear?”

“Ahh-“ 

Alix threw her hand over Kim’s mouth to keep him from questioning Max’s plan. “He’s on my team, he’ll just follow me around.” 

“Excellent.” Max proceeded to hand out maps with different coloured routes. “Make sure you all look carefully, Kim.” 

“What did I do?”

“It’s what your brain doesn’t do that’s the problem.” 

“Come on guys, let’s get looking.” Alya patted Alix on the shoulder. 

Alix stopped teasing and smiled back. “You know it’s true.” She whispered with a snarky grin. 

“Yeah yeah. Maybe we could leave him with Max so we can pair up and you can tell me how long you two have been dating.” Alya said casually before walking away with a smirk. 

Alix’s jaw dropped. “Oh you take that back Miss Cèsaire.” Alix demanded chasing after her. 

Adrien had to move out the way for the small yet surprisingly fast girl. 

Nino just laughed as he saw Alya run off into the distance with a map. He was glad that his girlfriend was in better spirits. 

Juleka however didn’t like how her friends were messing about. This was a serious problem and they were making jokes and running around laughing. 

“Are you ok Juleka?” Rose gently brushed her friend’s shoulder. 

Juleka just mumbled. 

“I know, but Luka missing isn’t the only thing going on. Marinette’s in hospital, and people deal with grief differently. Let’s just go out and hope we find him. He did say he would come back, I’m sure he’s safe.” Rose comforted. 

Juleka smiled. “Thanks Rose.” 

“Alright everyone, find your partners and head out.” 

———

Mylène and Ivan headed out on the most romantic route. She may have thought Juleka was over reacting by forming this event after school, but who was she to judge. She was still fiddling with the orange bracelet she had found that morning. The conversation she overheard had been playing over and over in her mind ever since and she couldn’t help but feel that those people knew exactly what was wrong with Ladybug. It was their fault, they said so themselves. She just wished she could find out who these ‘someones’ were so she could uncover the truth. Mylène was thinking of writing an article on her findings. One that explained what really happened so that people could feel at ease because really, no one knew anything. But Mylène was going to find out exactly what was going on with Ladybug. 

“Hey Mylène? Are you feeling ok?” Ivan spoke up as he saw Mylène’s scheming face. 

“Yeah why?” Mylène chirped. 

“Well you just seem a bit off lately. Does it have something to do with Marinette?” 

“I’m fine.” She laughed the question off. “Marinette is being taken care of in the hospital. Luka will probably return home for dinner like he said. And we still get to have a romantic walk through Paris.” She smiled sweetly. But then she began to wonder, what if Marinette wasn’t ok? What if the heroes had lied about that too?

“No see, you’re making that face again. I’ve never seen you make that face before, it’s like you’re planing something.” Ivan remarked, confused. 

“What face?” Mylène unconsciously stopped thinking about Marinette. 

“Well now you’re not doing it, but you did it before.” Ivan tried to explain. 

“I honestly have no idea what you’re talking about.” She giggled. 

Ivan sighed. “Doesn’t matter. Hey look, it’s Alix!” 

Mylène’s first thought was, ‘Good, we can compare notes.’ She immediately questioned herself. Was she really so consumed by this investigation that her first thought upon seeing her friend was ‘we can compare notes?’ But her skepticism against herself was forgotten by the time Alix had seen them as well and chased them down. 

“Hey mind if I join you guys? Alya ditched me for Nino, surprise surprise.”

“Sure!” Mylène said a little too quickly. 

“You sure you guys don’t mind crashing whatever this is.” Alix motioned to the two of them. 

“No of course not.” Mylène smiled. 

Ivan was confused. He thought Mylène wanted some alone time with him. Of course she couldn’t say no to Alix, but she sounded so eager, as if she didn’t want to be alone with him as much as he thought. But they hadn’t seen each other much over the past few days. Surely she was in need of his company. Weren’t bad situations supposed to bring couples together, not draw them apart? Or maybe it was that they either brought them together or drew them apart. And so maybe, they were drawing apart. Maybe their relationship wasn’t strong enough for this. Maybe she didn’t love him anymore.  
Ivan’s thoughts escalated quickly. 

Ivan walked slower and slower behind the girls until he stopped. 

Mylène and Alix were talking and didn’t notice that Ivan was no longer behind them. They continued walking as if nothing had happened, while behind them, a poor boy’s heart was breaking. 

———

The sun began to set as the students kept up the search for their friend’s brother. 

Nino and Adrien had ran into Ivan and were now counselling him about the ways of women as they followed their route. 

Max and Kim were stuck. On one side, Max was exhausted and couldn’t walk any further. On the other side, Kim had no idea where he was or where the map told him to go, thus rendering unable to continue without Max. Of course there was always the option of piggybacking, but neither male wanted to submit to that incredibly low level. 

Rose and Juleka stayed back at the boat house in case Luka did return home. Juleka was a nervous wreck. Rose had never seen her like this before and didn’t really know what to do. Of course she tried to comfort her friend, but it wasn’t the same as her brother returning home unharmed. 

Alix was growing more and more worried as Mylène explained what she was planning. 

“I’m thinking of asking Alya to post an article on the Ladyblog.”

“Oh really?” Alix asked with apprehension. 

“Yeah. I’m planing to write this whole thing on what happened to Ladybug and the truth about the Dark Hood.” 

“Oh...really?” Alix continued hesitantly. 

“Yeah. I’ve already got a lead.” Mylène began to sift through her pockets. Pulling out an orange bracelet she said. “The person who owns this hurt Ladybug. I overheard them say that it was their fault-“

“Hang on, you were eavesdropping on a private conversation?!” Alix needed to shut this down. 

“Y-Yeah, I mean a good reporter always finds the truth right?” 

“Not when it hurts her friends! And not when it’s not the truth. That’s Alya’s bracelet, she told me that she was talking to Nino privately. You must’ve been really quiet because they didn’t realise you were there.”

Mylène stared at her dumbfounded. “Alya hurt Ladybug?”

“No! You don’t understand, you didn’t hear the whole conversation!” Alix grabbed Mylène’s shoulder’s to try and snap her out of it. 

“B-but I heard them- t-they said Ladybug was hurt, a-and that it was their fault.” 

“Did they say that exactly or did you piece that together yourself?”

Mylène hung her head.

“See. Alya probably was feeling guilty for not helping Marinette or something. She could’ve seen Ladybug get hurt. You don’t know what really happened.” Alix cried. 

“F-from what I heard- it just sounded like.” Mylène whispered timidly. 

“It could’ve sounded like anything, but unless you hear it straight from the source, it’s fake news.” 

“I guess I only heard parts.” 

“Exactly Mylène! This is why you can’t keep eavesdropping and investigating and trying to solve this. Don’t you see, if you had written that article, Alya could’ve gotten hurt. You hurt people when you don’t know the truth. So I’m begging you, please stop this crazy detective thing. There’s probably nothing happening anyway.” 

Mylène was quiet. Only now did she fully realise what she had become. She could’ve hurt her friends. Her eyes drifted lazily and realised that Ivan wasn’t there. She had hurt her friend. She had hurt her best friend because of her obsession. An obsession caused by Marinette and the fact that she was in hospital. 

“I want Marinette to be okay.” Mylène broken down in tears. 

Alix sighed and embraced her. “We all do.” A tear slipped from her own eye. No one saw it though.

After Mylène was all cried out, she pulled away from the hug. 

“I just wish the hospital would let us see her.” 

“Same. But they won’t, so let’s not go investigating anymore.” Alix laughed. 

Mylène join in a little. But she was still sad over Marinette. 

Alix noticed this and nudged her playfully. “Hey, why don’t we hang out tomorrow. Do some...” Alix shivered, “...girl stuff.” 

Mylène smiled sweetly. “You’d do that for me?” She snickered. 

“Yeah why not.” Alix sighed. 

She looked up, content and noticed an ice-cream pallor across the road. 

“Hey, you want ice-cream?” Alix pointed towards the shop. “It’s on me!” She cried as she raced across the busy road. 

Mylène couldn’t bare to watch. But maybe it was the fact that her eyes were closed that allowed her to hear the sweet tune of an acoustic guitar being played behind her. 

She turned to see a dark ally-way. Mylène wondered if maybe she had just imagined the noise. But before she could turn back to see if Alix had crossed safely, the melody played again. 

So, having the slightest bit of curiosity left in her, she followed the sound into the dark. 

“Hello?” She asked. 

The music stopped. 

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to frighten you. You were just playing such a pretty song.” Mylène let her eyes adjust from the bright street lights to the dim path. 

“Ah, thanks.” A voice said. 

“Luka?!” Mylène cried as soon as she could make out the dark figure lounging on top of a dumpster. 

Luka cringed in annoyance. Hopping down from his comfortable stage, he approached the girl. 

“You’re Mylène right? Juleka’s friend?” He held out his hand for her to shake as a proper greeting. 

“Yes!” She cried a little too excitedly. “And we’ve been looking all over for you!” 

“We’ve?”

“The whole class has been wandering around looking for you. Juleka has been so worried. She thought you were going to do something illegal or dangerous or something.” 

“Oh, I-“

“But I’ve found you! She’s going to be so happy that you’re safe.” Mylène pulled out her phone to text Juleka, but Luka pushed it down. 

“Please don’t tell Jules. I know she’s worried and I wish I could go back. But I can’t ok, at least not right now.” Luka pleaded. 

Mylène was confused. Juleka needed to see that her brother was ok, and here he was, sulking in the garbage. 

“Why? Why can’t you go back home?” She demanded as he walked back to his dumpster. 

“I just can’t.” He sighed, jumping up to his former seat. 

“No! Y-you can! You can see her, you can tell her you’re alright. It’s just that you won’t.” Mylène snapped. 

“Fine, I won’t. Now could I please get back to my music.”

“No, no how could you? How can you just sit there while you’re sister is worried sick about you?” 

Luka ignore her and began to pluck his guitar. 

“How can you sit there knowing that she needs you?”

He plucked the strings louder to drown her out. 

“I know you can hear me, and I know I’m getting to you so just tell me, why won’t you go back?!”

Luka closed his eyes and began to hum a melody to his tune. 

“Can you stop ignoring me and tell me why you’re willingly hurting your sister?!”

“Juleka is fine ok. She’s fine. She doesn’t need me as much as she thinks. And I need to be alone.” Luka eventually yelled back. 

“She’s not fine.” Mylène lowered her voice. “She’s not fine at all. None of us are.” 

Luka was silent as she climbed up next to him on the piles of garbage. 

“You know, Marinette does care about you. She cares about everyone.” Mylène started. “I know you cared about her to.” 

“You don’t know anything.” Luka mumbled and reached up to resume playing but was stopped by her hand. 

“I’ve seen the way you look at her. I know Luka, I know you care about her so much.”

Luka just stared at her, tears welling in his eyes. 

“And I know how hard it must be for you right now. Because Marinette was a close friend of mine. She was a close friend to everyone. And what I’m starting to realise, is that even though we can’t see her, even though we don’t know how badly she’s hurt — whether she’s got a broken arm or fighting for life. We know that no matter what, Marinette would want us to have hope. To trust that she’s ok; to trust that she will get better. And maybe things won’t return to normal in the future. But that can’t excuse us for acting out in the present.” Mylène sighed. “I’ve hurt someone, someone that I love. I don’t want you to do the same thing.” She smiled, a tear rolling down her already tear-stained cheeks. 

Luka swallowed a lump in his throat. This girl knew what he was feeling. She knew what he needed to hear. 

“Thank you.” His voice broke. 

Mylène shrugged, wiping her eyes. 

“So can we go back to yours now?” 

Luka’s breath quivered. “I guess.” 

Mylène smiled. “It’s going to be ok Luka.” 

Luka nodded. “I know. I just find it hard to talk about.”

“We all do in sometimes.” She comforted. 

“Mylène!” The two turned their heads towards the voice. 

“That’s Alix, she was getting ice-cream.” Mylène explained before running towards the main street. 

Luka took his chance to sneak away. He didn’t want anyone else to see him; he hated attention. So he ran the opposite direction and hid in an ally before the girls realised he had left. 

———

“Who were you talking to?” Alix questioned, squinting into the darkness. 

Mylène turned to Luka but no one was there. 

“Oh, ah, no one.” She just hoped Luka had gone home.


	16. Late Night Visits

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chat pays a visit to Chloe  
> Chat, Rena, and Carapace try to pay a visit to Marinette.   
> And someone rolled doubles and gets to leave jail.

Miss Chloe Bourgeois was not to be disturbed. 

Darkness swallowed the extensive room like the deep void of space that eats away any matter that doesn’t belong, letting no light escape. A way of description would be close to the physical image of depression.   
Gloomy would be an understatement. Sun rays were kept out like the plague. Black cloths hung from the walls. The door opened three times a day for a delivery of food. The order: honeycomb ice cream with a tray of triple chocolate brownies. No one and nothing but that tray of food was to enter the bed room. 

No. Miss Chloe Bourgeois was not to be disturbed. 

———

It was a busy morning for Adrien: An early morning visit to Marinette that was short lived by a nurse entering the room, followed by a photo shoot until lunch as Gabriel had released a new line of clothes (he needed to draw as much suspicions away from himself as possible. With one of his ‘workers’ in jail, police could walk through his door at any moment. He didn’t need that. So what better alibi than that he was working hard on a new line of clothes?).

Thus, it was Saturday afternoon when Adrien realised he probably should check on Chloe. And that thought lead him to thinking a team meeting was in order to explain what was happening with Ladybug and Marinette (not revealing their identities of course). For he had only just remembered that the rest of the team didn’t even know if Marinette was alive. He needed to assure them that everything was ok; he would hope they’d do the same for him. Now all he had to do was write out a script so that he didn’t look like he was lying by stuttering when he got nervous.   
He needed to give them assurance that Marinette was ok, then explain what was wrong with Ladybug without giving away her identity. This was going to be tricky. 

———

At last the sun had set, leaving Chloe to enjoy a pitch black room. That was until she heard a knock. 

She ignored the noise and rolled over, trying to sleep so whoever was at the door wouldn’t bother her. 

The knock sounded again. But this time, she realised that it wasn’t coming from her bed room door. It was a harder sound, not like the hollow wooden door. It was— glass?

She sat up right. Maybe it was just the wind? But before she could lay back down, the sound rung again, louder, more demanding. 

Chloe was utterly confused. Who was on her balcony? Why were they on her balcony? She decided she didn’t care and threw a pillow over her head to drown out the knocking. 

Another knock echoed in the room, the pillow barely muffling it. This time however, it was followed by the clicking and shifting of a door. 

The balcony door had been unlocked that whole time. Chloe curse her Buttler for not locking it. Now an unknown intruder was sneaking into her room, probably to steel all her stuff. Not that she cared. It was all useless anyway, nothing had any meaning for her anymore. 

Foot steps, soft ones, patted the carpet as the intruder approached her bed. 

Chloe rolled her eyes. If this was a murderer or thief, he wasn’t very good. He knocked for crying out loud. What kind of criminal knocks?

“Chloe.” The voice was familiar, comforting. She peered out a little but it’s very hard to see anything with a pillow on your head. 

“Chloe.” He said again. But Chloe didn’t feel like interacting with this human. And her curiosity wasn’t curious enough for her to even look at him. 

“Chloe!” She felt him push her shoulder. 

“Hey! I’m trying to sle- ...Chat Noir?”

Chat Noir stood by her bed, arms crossed and a comforting smile on his face. He had left the door wide open, letting just enough moonlight in for her to see him. 

“Come on, we need a team meeting.” Chat ordered, pulling the blankets from her. 

“Go away.” She nearly shouted, snatching her blankets back and rolling over. 

“Chloe get up, you can’t stay here forever.”

“Watch me.”

“Fine. Can I at least borrow your phone to call Rena and Carapace?”

Chloe grumbled a reply. 

“Thank you.” Chat chirped just to annoy her. 

She mumbled her disgust. 

Chat made his way easily through the dark room to the bedside table on the opposite side of the bed. Being Adrien, he had a pretty good guess at her pass word. He was in on first try. 

“Chat Noir wants a team meeting to explain everything he now knows about Ladybug and Marinette to you guys.” Chat red out as he typed so Chloe would know what he was happening. 

She merely rolled over to face her back towards him. 

“Come to my house and we’ll meet in my room.” Chat smirked. 

Chloe shot up. 

“No! No! You can’t just do that! You don’t have any right-“

“And...send.” Chat gave her a toothy grin. 

Chloe scowled at him in pure anger. “I’m going to kill you.”

“Hey,” Chat shot his hands up innocently. “You said you weren’t leaving this room.” 

Chloe wished she had never transformed in front of the entire nation. 

“Oh come on Chlo, I’m only doing this because you need it. You need to be part of our team and hear what I have to say. We can help you, that’s what a team does. They support each other, they do what’s best for one another. And I know, that as soon as anything gets too difficult for you, you’ll hide out in your room until someone comes and drags you out.” Chat smiled knowingly.

Chloe removed the pillow from her head and sat up. “I do not.” She huffed. 

“Chloe, you’ve turned into a vampire.” Chat gestured to the rest of the room. 

Chloe rolled her eyes. She wasn’t going to admit he was right.

“Come on, get dressed before Alya and Nino get here.” Chat helped her out of her king sized bed and lead her to her wardrobe, turning on the light. 

Chat smiled. Helping people made him feel so much better about Marinette than just sulking in his room about her. He really should remember that for when he felt sad again. 

Chloe changed out of her pyjamas (sweatpants and an oversized top) to a new pair of sweatpants and another oversized top. Just in time for a knock to sound at her window again.

Chat had turned her lights on, the black curtains were removed, and there was the sweet smell of jasmine throughput the room. 

“You sprayed my perfume everywhere!” She cried as she walked back into a completely different room. 

Chat just shrugged as he opened the balcony door for Rena and Carapace to waltz in. 

Chloe rolled her eyes. This cat was so annoying. 

“Alright team,” Chat led them all to the sunken seating area in the middle of the room. “I was able to see Marinette yesterday.” He said beautifully. Adrien was so proud of himself for thinking of such a thing. This way he could draw suspicion away from his identity as Adrien was at school all day. 

“You saw Marinette?”  
“The hospital let you in?”  
“How come we couldn’t go in before?”  
“Is she ok?”

Adrien hadn’t however planed for so many questions. 

“S-She’s alive. She’s in a coma though, and her injuries are pretty bad. I-I snuck in so no doctors could give me a full report.” 

Rena let her head drop slowly. She thought that maybe Chat could bring some closure to the situation. But it had only made her more worried. 

“Can I see her?” Rena asked. She needed to see Marinette. She had waited too long to see her friend and it was taking a toll on her. Though she had tried to ignore the whole thing and continue with life, Chat Noir had given her hope and then took it away. She needed to see Marinette. 

“Yeah, can we sneak in to? What room is she?” Carapace began to stand up.

“I ah, well maybe later.” 

Carapace sat back down, discouraged. 

“Marinette is alive guys!” Chat tried to encourage. 

“Yeah, but for how long?” Chloe snapped from behind him (she refused to be a part of the meeting and was simply wondering around her room).

Chat swung around, disgust plastering his face. 

“What? I’m just saying. For all we know, she could be on life support and the coma is just her dying.” Chloe said frankly. 

Chat turned back to Rena and Carapace who were mortified. 

“She’s not dying ok, she’s just in a coma. Look, I saw her, and from what I could tell, she wasn’t on life support, she wasn’t struggling for life, she didn’t look very well I’ll give her that, but she wasn’t dying.” 

“How can you be so sure? Are you a doctor or something?” Chloé remarked. 

Chat looked over his shoulder to meet her eyes. “Because I’ve seen my mum on life support. Marinette is going to be ok.” He muttered coldly. 

The room was silent. Chloe had to leave, she couldn’t handle it. She was too embarrassed to show her face. 

Rena and Carapace were shocked. They had no idea that Chat had been through so much. Now that they thought about it, they knew nothing about Chat Noir and what he had been through. 

Chat immediately regretted saying such a thing as the tension in the room rose dramatically and now the team knew something about him. He had let a bit of his secret civilian life slip, a clue that could bring them closer to finding out who he was. He had written a script for a reason, all he had to do was follow it. 

“Right, so, Ladybug.” Chat swiftly changed the topic. “She ah-“ Chat tried to forget about his mess up and focus on the script he had memorised. “Yeah see, she— well you all know how she basically collapsed Thursday afternoon after that akuma attack?”

Rena and Carapace nodded. 

“So yeah, turns out— well I had to take her back to the hospital-“

“Wait what do you mean back?” Rena interrupted. 

“Well-“

“Yeah, was she already in hospital? Has she been in hospital this whole week?” Carapace asked before Chat got the chance to explain. 

“Well no, not exactly, you see...” Come on Adrien, remember what you wrote. “She’s been struggling with an illness the past week, one that the doctors can’t identify. S-She was in a coma Tuesday, I-I mean she fell into a coma on Tuesday. And it was only because the Guardian saw an akuma that he was able to find her and wake her up with some kind of magic that only lasted until the end of the battle.” 

Rena and Carapace sat in thought as they processed Chat’s explanation. 

So, Ladybug was really sick? She was in a coma. Marinette was also in a coma. Why was everyone in a coma?

“So... is Ladybug ok? Should she be fighting if she’s...sick?” Rena asked hesitantly. 

Chat swallowed. “Well I wish she didn’t, but we need her Lucky Charm and Miraculous Ladybug.” 

He had questioned himself if he should discourage Ladybug from fighting. It was one of the first things he thought when he found out Marinette was Ladybug. But the guardian told him she would be alright. And perhaps it was his selfishness — he longed to see her eyes open — that caused him to agree to Master Fu’s plan. 

“I suggest though we all step up. Not having Ladybug fight will allow us all to improve, then, when we free the akuma, she can capture it and clean everything up. I’ll then take her back to the hospital.” Chat informed them. 

“So you do know who she is.” Rena smirked. 

“W-What?” Chat was taken back. How did she find out? What had he said? Whatever had happened, it didn’t matter now, he needed to deny it. “What are you talking about?” He laughed nervously. 

“You and Ladybug, you know her identity don’t you. I mean I always thought you did but I just wasn’t sure.”

“B-but I-I don’t know who she is, I n-never said I did?”

“Oh, well I just assumed, since you took Ladybug back to the hospital, her transformation must’ve worn off by the time you got there.” 

Chat froze. “Y-Yeah w-well, it didn’t. She told me what happened and what room she was, that was it.” Chat hoped they would drop the topic. 

“Whatever.” Rena shrugged. “So we’re all going to work extra hard to protect Ladybug in akuma fights. Then, once she gets out of her coma, things will go back to normal?” 

Chat was hesitant to answer. He didn’t know what was going to happen. He didn’t know if Marinette would ever get better, he only said such encouraging things to help his team. She wasn’t on life support, he knew that much, but yet, there was still the chance that she didn’t make it. But he refused to think about that. He was taking one day at a time and hoping for the best. 

“Chat? Things will go back to normal... right?” Rena urged. 

“Ah, well...”

“Ladybug will wake up and we’ll all return our Miraculouses, right Chat?” 

“Um, see, I don’t know. I haven’t really been able to talk to ah, Ladybug.” Chat stated in a near whisper. 

Rena sighed heavily. 

“Calm down babe.” Carapace patted her shoulder.

“I’m fine, I just. Well I really just want to see Marinette.” 

Chat nodded. “I know, it’s just hard.”

“Well do you think we could sneak in now? I mean if that’s the end of the meeting and all.” Carapace suggested. 

Chat pursed his lips in thought. Maybe they could sneak in. Of course, he had no idea which exact room hers was from the outside. But maybe he could find it. It was night time which allowed them to hide better. So maybe they had a good chance of seeing her. 

———

“Look man, you gotta get me outta here!”

“I agree.”

“I can’t stand it no more, just give me a chance- wait, did you just agree?” 

“The heroes are fragile, they’re weak. You will strike tonight. They won’t expect it and if they do, they won’t be able to win.”

“Hang on...you’re agreeing with me?”

“Don’t make me regret this boy, I’m a busy man so if you waste my time like this again, you are gone.”

“Y-Yes sir.”

“Good, you’ll be out in a few hours, I have some calls to make. But so help me, if you fail again-“

“I know sir, b-but I won’t, I promise, I know what I’m up against.” 

“Good.”

———

The night was dark and spirits were high. They were going to see Marinette! They were going to see her for the first time since the incident. Thoughts of the future and their relationship with Marinette were distant thoughts as all that mattered in that moment was seeing if she was ok. 

Chat Noir lead the way. He had snuck in from the inside that morning, remembering Master Fu’s route. But now he had to find them a way in from the outside. 

Being the only one with night vision, Chat lead Rena and Carapace through dark alleys as the team didn’t want to be seen by the public. 

Once they were out of the heart of the city, it was safer to travel by rooftop according to Chat Noir. It was also easier for Rena and Carapace to see, thus, the journey sped up. 

The hospital was in sight and Rena’s stomach sank. How could she do this? How could she face Marinette after what she did to her? She had one job — to protect her best friend. And she failed. How could she ever live that down? How could Marinette ever forgive her? 

“Hey,” Carapace caught up to Rena who had slowed down. “Don’t think about what happened, we’re just going to see if she’s alright.” He smiled. 

She sighed. “You’re right, I’ll leave the guilt trip for later.” She forced a smile. 

“That’s my girl.” 

“But what if she’s not alright?” Rena’s face dropped. 

Carapace grabbed her hand before she could jump across to the next building. 

“Chat, wait up!” He called, bringing Rena to his chest. 

“Listen. No matter what happens, we go through it together. I’m right here, I’ll never leave you. Even if the whole world collapses, I’ll be by your side.” 

He then leant in and stole a kiss before she could respond. 

A breath escaped her. And she managed to nod. 

Carapace kissed her gently again before taking off. 

Rena cleared her mind and quickly followed. 

Chat Noir landed on the hospital roof stealthily, followed by Carapace and Rena Rouge. 

“You guys stay here.” He ordered before jumping off the edge. 

Scaling the side of the hospital, Chat counted three rows of windows down. His night vision came in handy as he began peeking through windows. 

Rena and Carapace waited anxiously on the roof for Chat to find the right room. 

Rena began to pace. She needed to stop worrying, to stop feeling guilty and awful about her past actions. 

Carapace swallowed. He had said all he could to ease her mind, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t be nervous. He didn’t know what else to say, so he just grabbed her hand and held it tight. 

“It’s gonna be ok.” He whispered as he began to stroke the back of her hand. 

She gazed up at him, a smile creeping up on her face. It was a smile of gratitude. She was so thankful for him in her life. 

“Guys!” Chat Noir interrupted their moment. “I found-“

Screaming, lots of screaming. Crashing noises as well. The sound of things smashing. Car horns and alarms going off like crazy. Cries of terror ringing though the streets. 

“What is it?” Carapace ran to the edge of the hospital and looked out across the city. 

“It’s...an akuma.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> dun Dun DUUUUN!!   
> Will the heroes ever get to visit Marinette?


	17. Goodbye Marinette

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The heroes are...kidnapped! How will they protect Marinette if they’re tied up in an evil villain’s lair?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m so glad you guys are enjoying the story!

“What just happened?” Rena breathed out, still in shock. 

Carapace shook his head slowly, a glazed look on his face, “she’s gone.” He mumbled. 

“B-but...I didn’t even get a chance to say good bye.” Rena’s lip quivered. 

Carapace slowly turned to her, tears welling in his eyes. “We were too late.” 

———

Chat had an eerie feeling about this akuma as they raced towards it. Marinette would have to wait, though he knew she would be paying a visit to them anytime now. Or so he hoped. It was late, what if Master Fu wasn’t awake? What if he didn’t see the akuma warnings? What if Ladybug didn’t make it this time? No, stop it Chat, this was no time to worry. He had to put his complete trust in the Guardian. 

“Hey Chat, shouldn’t we get Ladybug or something?” Rena asked as they approached the destruction sight. 

But all voices were silenced as their eyes beheld the devastation that the so called ‘akuma’ had left behind. 

There was nothing. 

Everything was normal, calm even. 

But...they could’ve sworn they heard screams..and there was lights..and the cars..and the crashing and smashing noises? They were all fake?!

Then a realisation hit Chat faster than the bat behind him.

“It’s a trap!” He cried before he was knocked out cold. 

Rena and Carapace turned to him but weren’t given any time to react before getting knocked out themselves. 

———

“I got you what you wanted, now where’s the money.”

“Not so fast, I want to see them.” 

“They’re in the truck-“

“Do they still have their Miraculouses?”

“Why would I bring the bodies to you if the Miraculouses weren’t attached.”

“Enough talk.”

Chat heard steps creeping closer to him, but his head hurt too much to open up his eyes and see what was happening. 

Sounds of metal scraping metal and heavy doors moving followed and the voices became clearer and louder. 

“I trust no one saw you.”

“It’s 11pm, who would’ve seen ‘em?”

“I’m getting tired of your sarcasm- wait, there’s only three?!” 

“Well...yeah, only three showed up-“

“And you took them anyway?! We had a plan, a full-proof plan that some how, you messed up! Again!”

“I-I k-know s-s-sir, b-but the other two weren’t around, I checked! I promise!”

“That’s not good enough! What if they come looking for their teammates, hmmm? What’s going to happen then?”

“W-Well-“

“You’re going to get thrown back in jail! And so help me, I better not be with you.” The man sighed. “This is the last time I trust a crook to do my dirty work. You’re going back to your old prison and no reward!” 

“B-but-“

“No! That’s final. I don’t want to here another word from you.”

“But I know where Ladybug is!” 

Chat’s ears pricked up and he allowed a blurry picture of the outside world in. The two men: it was the murderer and... Hawkmoth!

“What did you say?” Hawkmoth bit. 

“I-I know where Ladybug is.” The Dark Hood mumbled timidly. 

Chat blink a few times as his blurry vision was somehow making it harder for him to hear. 

“Where is she.” Hawkmoth demanded. 

“S-she’s in hospital-“

“Hospital?! Did you-“

“No s-sir, it wasn’t me, I swear. But if you would just let me go, I could find her-“

“Hurry up about it. Meanwhile, I’ll go pay a visit to miss Bourgeois. Oh and before you go, tie these up, I want them alive and I can’t have them running around alerting authorities.” 

“Yes sir, right away sir.”

Chat quickly shut his eyes, well, he let them open a bit, but not enough for the Dark Hood to notice. 

———

Chat Noir, being an experience superhero and all, began to plan an attack. 

He had been kidnapped along with Rena Rouge and Carapace while on the way to visit Marinette. They were both still unconscious and he was pretending to be as they were all driven to another location. Chat suspected it was the villain’s secret hideout, but even with his eyes wide open, he couldn’t see where they were going because he was tied up in the back of a truck. 

Ok Adrien breathe. You can do this, you can find a way out. You’re a superhero after all, you’ve been captured a hundred times. Yeah, but Ladybug always saves me. Well she can’t save you now, step up and be a man. You need to focus, you’re doing this for Marinette. Marinette who is Ladybug. Ladybug. You’re doing it for Ladybug, the love of your life. You’re doing this for Marinette, the love of your life. Chat grinned to himself at his self-conversation. 

The heroes got thrown forward as the truck stopped suddenly. Chat’s ears pricked up at the sound of the back doors opening again and he flopped down like a dead body. 

Chat tried his hardest to remain as lifeless as he could, letting himself be dragged into some kind of shipping container (so much for a sick villain lair). 

The Dark Hood tied them each up to a chair and made sure they were still unconscious by waving his hand in front of their faces before leaving on his mission. 

Chat’s eyes shot open and he found himself staring straight into Rena’s. 

She smiled. “I didn’t know cats could play dead.” She snickered to herself. 

Chat rolled his eyes. “Haha.” He sighed sarcastically as he began to untie the useless knots. 

Rena saw him do so and tried herself to escape, but he was quick, too quick for her to even find out if she could do it on her own. 

“Right, he’s headed to the hospital to find Marinette- I mean Ladybug! B-but Marinette is also at the hospital so...so we need to protect her, also, yes.” Chat could feel his stomach about to explode. 

“Ok.” Rena mindlessly agreed with a shrug. 

Chat couldn’t believe he had just gotten away with his biggest slip up yet. Maybe he was getting better at this thinking on the spot thing. 

“But what about Ni- Carapace. He’s still out cold.” Rena asked as she gently tapped Carapace’s face. 

Chat was glad she slipped up. Not because he wanted her to, he just knew now that she would focus on that and not his suspicious name fumble. 

“We’ll just have to carry him to a safe spot while we go stop the Dark Hood.” Chat suggested as he began to untie the unconscious hero. 

Rena nodded and swiftly helped out by undoing the rope around his feet. 

———

Chloe lay down, exhausted after putting her curtains back in their comforting, light-killing places. The rest of the team had finally left her room, allowing her to completely remove their visit from her memory. A part of her did wish Chat Noir paid more attention to her during the meeting, and that part wished he invited her out on their mission to see Marinette. But obviously, he knew she didn’t want to go. Because she didn’t. Why would she want to see the klutz anyway? It wasn’t like that’s what was keeping her up at night. 

But all her heavy lifting after not having moved for the past three nights made her completely exhausted. She just wanted to fall into a long deep sleep. But just as she was about to fall asleep, a familiar knock sounded out from her balcony door. 

Her eyes shot open in frustration, giddy frustration. Maybe the team did want her to come along.

“Ugh! What now Chat?!” She screamed out of pride, yanking the door open. 

But Chat Noir was not the one who disturbed her. 

“Hello Miss Bourgeois.”

———

“Chat, do you know where she is? Where they took her?” Rena pleaded. 

Chat swallowed. “She’ll be safe. They’ll keep her safe.”

“B-but he’s still out there! We should be the ones keeping her safe!” Carapace demanded. 

Chat sighed. “She’s safe.” 

“I hope you’re right cat-boy because if my best friend has one more attack on her life, you’re gonna-“

“Hey, hey babe, calm down. Chat Noir did nothing remember, he’s on our side.” Carapace quickly pulled Rena down. 

Rena took some deep breaths to compose herself. 

“I- I’m sorry Chat. I’m just-“

“Frustrated?” Chat suggested. 

Rena nodded with a sigh. 

“I know, I get it. We were so close to protecting her, and we failed, again.” Chat paused to deepen the conversation. “Alya, I care about Marinette. More than you know. And if anything happens to her, that’s on me ok. She’s my responsibility, it will be my fault. But I promise you guys this: they said that she will be safe, and I trust them.” 

———

The battle was fierce. 

Carapace had woken up on the way to the hospital and was promptly dropped off onto Chloe’s balcony as it was conveniently close at the time, and of course Chloe wouldn’t mind. 

Rena Rouge and Chat Noir snuck in from Marinette’s window. Chat suggested they wait in her room for any sign of attack from the Dark Hood. This gave Alya a chance to see her friend for the first time in what felt like forever. But the visit was once again short lived as the sound of a bullet piecing through the air grabbed the hero’s attention. The fight was on. 

Chat Noir bolted out of the room. 

“Stay here!” He ordered. 

“But I thought we were going to protect Ladybug?!” She cried, chasing after him anyway. 

The Dark Hood nearly wet his pants when he saw Chat Noir bolting towards him, rage face on. 

The murderer dropped the nurse’s body — her interrogation on the whereabouts of Ladybug did not end well for her — and he ran. 

Trapped on the roof, the Dark Hood was faced with a very angry Chat Noir. He had hurt Marinette and now was Chat’s chance to revenge her. 

Rena made it up to the roof and promptly noticed the sirens and lines of police cars parked outside. She didn’t know what to do. Chat had told her to protect Marinette, but she wanted a chance to kill the guy who almost killed her friend. 

It was two against one. 

The Dark Hood had knives and guns, but Chat and Rena had severe motivation. 

Adrien had fought this guy before. It was one of his hardest battles. Even with Ladybug at his side, he struggled to stay on top of the Dark Hood’s attacks. But that was different. That battle was hard for two reasons: one, he wasn’t prepared for the skill of the akuma. And two, the Dark Hood’s natural skill was enhanced by Hawkmoth’s akuma. No, this battle was extremely different. 

Chat threw everything he had at this guy. He subconsciously knew his fighting style, making his moves predictable and easy to block. Though, he still got hit a few times by his sharp knives. 

But he wasn’t the only who got hit and kept fighting. Rena pushed through a deep wound in her side. The Dark Hood had never seen anything like it. You didn’t want to get on Alya’s bad side. 

Chat and Rena finally managed to throw away the Dark Hood’s knife and gun supplies. It was at that moment that his agile moves and quick feet began to fail him. 

The Dark Hood was knocked out and locked up by the time the police were able to get to the roof. 

Chat’s foot was tapping as waited for the Dark Hood to be removed from his view.  
Rena channelled her unspent energy into pacing. 

“You know, you’re loosing a lot of blood there-“ Chat tried to inform Rena, but before he could advise her to sit down, a wave of magical red Ladybug’s engulfed them both, leaving no evidence of the battle. 

———

Carapace had the biggest headache. He could barely remember how he ended up on a lounge chair on Chloe’s balcony. All he knew was that it had been a weird night and if him staying put was what stopped the weirdness, then he would gladly oblige. That being said, he had just watched Hawkmoth waltz into Chloe’s bed room. Maybe he should get up and help. Or, he could just call the police. Yeah, that would probably suffice. 

But unfortunately, Nino had a conscience. One that made him stand to his feet even when he could see six of them. 

———

“Hey!” 

Chloe turned to the door and a sigh of relief escaped her. 

“Carapace thank goodness! He wants my Miraculous, quick, shield!” Chloe ordered. 

Hawkmoth, still processing the fact that he was about to get his butt kicked, didn’t move. 

Carapace quickly commanded a shield over Chloe who was tied to a chair. 

“Not over me, over the Miraculous!” She cried. 

“Right.” Carapace fumbled, dropping the shield. “And where is it?”

Chloe froze. Hawkmoth quickly snapped back into reality and ran over. 

“Yes, do tell.” He smirked. 

Chloe’s stomach sank. What was she to do? If she told Carapace anything, Hawkmoth would hear!

But Chloe’s problem was instantly solved as her door busted open and a whole police squad charged in. 

Nino knew all he had to do was sit there. Stupid conscience, he didn’t need to stand up. 

Hawkmoth was cuffed within seconds as he was once again shocked by how his flawless plan once again was proved faulty. 

Carapace searched through Chloe’s draws for some scissors to cut the rope that Hawkmoth had tied her down with, much to Chloe’s horror. 

“It’s the second draw!” Chloe cried remorsefully as she heard her stuff being pushed around behind her. 

“Second where? There’s like three cabinet things.” 

Chloe groaned. “The pink one. I said it was the pink one!” 

“They’re all pink!” Carapace was on the verge of a mental breakdown. 

“No they’re not, one’s salmon, the other is rose!”

“Those are just fancy words for pink!”

“The middle one! Just- it’s the middle one! Second draw, ok? The big pink one in the middle that has two draws, the scissors are in the bottom one.” Chloe had to take a deep breath to keep her from yelling. 

“Well why didn’t you say that the first time?” 

Chloe was too frustrated to respond. 

Carapace agreed and silently cut the thin rope. Hawkmoth must’ve been extremely poor because this was the cheapest rope Nino had ever seen. 

“Oh my sweet Chloe are you alright?” The mayor ran into his daughter’s room. 

“I can’t believe Hawkmoth thought he could tie up my Chloe, ridiculous, utterly ridiculous.” Audrey followed. 

Chloe ran to her parents and threw her arms around them. 

“Thank goodness you’re ok.” She wept. 

It was at that time that Nino realised Chloe had a heart. 

Carapace really thought things couldn’t get weirder. This was why he wished he had just stayed put outside on the sun lounge. But it was too late for that. All he could do now was get back to Rena and Chat and hope that whatever they were doing wasn’t as confusing. 

———

Chat Noir, Rena Rouge, and Carapace watched dumbfounded as Nadia Chamark announced on live television that Hawkmoth and the Dark Hood had escaped, and that since a nurse had said that she saw Ladybug protecting Marinette, clearly the villains had been after her. Thus, Marinette was to be taken to another hospital, one far away and that only a few people would know of. Her location was to remain private for her own protection. 

“You have got to be kidding me.” Carapace uttered. 

———

“Besides, they’re getting closer to finding out who Hawkmoth is. I’m sure as soon as they capture them both and send them away, Marinette will be brought back to the country. And we’ll be able to see her then. She’ll be like a normal patient, one who’s allowed visitors. We just have to wait.” 

“How long.” Rena asked desperately through tears. 

Carapace gave Chat the same desperate look as he rubbed Rena’s back. 

Chat lowered his head, ashamed of his lack of knowledge. “I don’t know. We can’t go out and find Marinette. But we can help the police find the Dark Hood and Hawkmoth.” 

Rena nodded, motivated to do good. 

Carapace only sighed. He was getting sick of this Marinette hero stuff. Just as he thought it was coming to an end, an attack came out on the poor girl. One that left them unable to see her for unknown amount of time. As if having to sneak in to see her wasn’t enough to discourage him from keeping his brave face on. Now she was gone for who knows how long. Nino just didn’t know how much longer he could take it. How much longer he would have to support Alya. How much longer he would have to keep a somewhat positive attitude. How much longer he had to smile. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> how Chat Noir and Rena dropped Carapace off at Chloe’s before Hawkmoth got there is a mystery. Maybe he stopped by McDonalds for a good feed. Hawkmoth does have a soft spot for their soft serve. Where else did he get his inspiration for his hair cut?


	18. Hope Returns

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Luka returns home.   
> Adrien has a classic midnight rant, but it’s not Marinette he should be worried about.   
> Will Alya and Nino be able to find their love for each other? Or are they too broken to even help each other?

It was around 10:30 pm when Juleka heard foot steps outside her room. She knew her mother had gone to bed and would most likely be a sleep by that hour. But she herself couldn’t shut her eyes without knowing where her brother was. 

Juleka sat up straight in bed and turned towards the noise with hope. 

Luka peered through the door way and smiled. 

She leaped up and threw herself at him, tears flowing down her cheeks. 

He grabbed her and held onto her. His eyes were shut tight to keep in his tears but he had never felt so loved. He knew what he did scared her, but he had to do it. He needed time, and someone to say what he needed to hear. He loved Juleka, but she didn’t know what he was feeling. Mylène did. She had been through what he was about to, and he didn’t want that future. He just needed to see that. 

“Please don’t ever leave again.” Juleka sobbed into the crook of his neck. 

Luka began to stroke her hair. “I promise. I won’t ever hurt you like that again.” 

He then pulled back to wipe her tears away. “Jules, I want you to know, that whatever happens, I will always come back. I promise that, really I do. But sometimes I’ve just got to go and clear my mind. You know I’m not good at feelings and I’m working on that. My music has helped but sometimes I just need to be alone. And it’s not because I don’t love you, it’s because I do. I just don’t want you to feel responsible for my actions. I don’t like to worry you, I really don’t, but you have to understand, I need to figure out what I feel. And I’m sorry if I ever did or said anything that hurt you because of that.”

Juleka smiled. She loved her brother so much, and now she knew for certain he had changed. The old Luka never apologised or explained to her what he was doing. She knew now she could trust him. She knew she could believe in the promises he made. 

———

Adrien was pacing — hard. His poor floor boards were being worn down as the boy basically dug a trench. 

“Plagg what do I do?” Adrien cried out, more so to himself as he left no room for Plagg to answer. 

“She’s gone Plagg, just like that. Poof!” 

Plagg opened his mouth to speak but was cut off by Adrien, again. 

“I mean, Master Fu asked me to protect her! I don’t even know where she is. How can I protect her Plagg? How can I save her if she needs saving? What if she’s not safe, what if the hospital transferred her to a place closer to Hawkmoth. Or what if he found out?!”

“Adrien it’s late, I’m trying to sleep.” Plagg took his chance to interject. But Adrien ignored him. 

“Does this mean I failed? Will Master Fu take my Miraculous because I can’t protect her, well, that I haven’t protected her. I should’ve stayed Plagg. I should’ve stayed in her room.” Adrien sighed. “But I needed to catch the man who hurt her. I needed to hurt him back!” He cried. “And I did. I did catch him Plagg. But it wasn’t good enough. They escaped, both of them. Paris was so close to peace and they just had to go and escape. I mean, how do you escape! How do you let people like that escape is a better question.”

“Adrien stop ok, just stop. It’s two am. Please go to bed. I thought you were fine with all this, the way you were talking to the others-“

“Alya and Nino need sleep Plagg. They’ve been up all night worrying about Marinette. Didn’t you see them? They were exhausted. So I, as the leader now, need to make sure my team is well rested and ready for action. I can’t have them discouraged. I need to give them hope so that they can have peace and move on with life. I can give them peace Plagg. I can tell them that everything is going to be alright and they’ll believe me.”

“And I suppose I’m supposed to tell you that everything is alright so you’ll get some sleep?” Plagg commented sarcastically. 

“Well yeah.” Adrien shrugged, too tired to catch the sarcasm. 

Plagg sighed. “Adrien, I don’t know what’s going to happen. But I trust Master Fu. I know he’ll figure something out. And if he doesn’t, who cares, as long as I got cheese.” Plagg’s solemn tone was basically destroyed as soon as he mentioned cheese. 

“Plagg, not everything is about your stomach ok. Marinette could be in trouble and we have no idea where she is.“

Plagg didn’t respond. He knew Adrien was having probably the worst week of his life. Nothing he could say would fix that. 

———

“Did you hear what happened to Marinette?”

“Yeah, wasn’t she like transferred or something?”

“That’s what I heard.”

“Didn’t it have something to do with the Dark Hood and Hawkmoth?”

“Yeah! You reckon they’ve been working together this whole time?”

“That would explain a lot. I didn’t think Hawkmoth was that low though. I mean, killing people?!”

“Yeah, I thought all he wanted was the Ladybug’s and Chat Noir’s Miraculouses? I didn’t think he would just kill people, you know, like a villain.”

“I get what you mean. ‘Cause like, Ladybug could always fix the damage he caused, but I guess he didn’t want that and went to something more permanent.”

“I suppose so. He must really hate Ladybug interfering with him trying to kill Marinette. I mean like, at this point, he must just be trying to kill her to spite Ladybug or something. That’s probably why he killed all those other girls to. He’s so petty, killing people just to annoy Ladybug.”

“Oh my goodness, that’s so dumb. He’s so dumb. Still, I reckon Ladybug is pretty annoyed. I mean like, I’m pretty annoyed!”

“Everyone’s annoyed and angry at Hawkmoth! He’s killed innocent girls for no reason. Well, he’s paid someone to kill them. I feel sorry for the Dark Hood.”

“I don’t, he probably wants to. Why else would he kill them?”

“For money, he’s probably getting paid.”

“I mean besides money. Like, if I paid you a million dollars to kill someone, would you?”

“...no, I guess not. But that’s not the way psychopath murderer’s brains work. He’s an assassin, it’s his job to kill people so he’s probably got no conscience.”

“Still, I don’t feel sorry for him, he’s chosen that life, he should have to pay the consequences.”

“I didn’t say he shouldn’t be punished, I just said I felt bad for the guy. He probably has a family or something and he’s stuck here working for Hawkmoth.”

“Pfsh, he’s probably killed his family.”

“Just let me be a little apathetic towards the villain.”

“You’re waisting your time. Come on, we’re going to be late for class.” 

———

The class rooms were filled with chatter Monday morning. Topics consisted of Marinette being transferred, Hawkmoth and the Dark Hood, and other random things (because other things happened even though they weren’t included in this story- amazing, I know). 

Alya and Nino, however, weren’t talking as lively as the rest of the class. With glazed looks on their faces, they merely wrote notes and doodled on their page until the next class started. Then they would move class rooms and repeat the same process. 

Adrien hated seeing them like this. At least on Friday they were talking to each other. Now, not even a glance was shared between them. It seemed like they were strangers again. But he didn’t dare ask them what happened. He knew they were made for each other. And he knew that what ever happened would be forgotten or forgiven all in good time because of that. But most of all, he didn’t want to question their relationship status incase it was his fault. He couldn’t hear them say it was his or Chat Noir’s fault, directly or indirectly. Though, he knew it was. It was Chat Noir’s fault, he was the one who didn’t check if the Dark Assassin was ok after the akuma battle. He was the one who suggested they use a civilian. He was the one who then asked Marinette to be the bait. And then he was the one who was supposed to lead them in Ladybug’s absence. He was the one who then ran off on the team, the one who kept disappearing. He was the one who was supposed to know everything, but didn’t. He was the one who was then supposed to tell them everything as soon as he found out. 

He was the one who was supposed to protect Marinette. But he didn’t. 

Alya and Nino were broken because of him. They had been broken inside, and two broken people can’t fix each other. He knew they broke the day Marinette’s insides did. But Nino had managed to sticky tape himself back together quick enough so he could then help Alya. 

Both were broken. One just put on a brave face to mend the other, hoping that the other could then mend them properly. But sticky tape doesn’t last that long. And if enough hits are fired, that sticky tape isn’t going to hold. 

Nino had exploded. Adrien was the one who told him to. 

It was Chat Noir who shot them both to pieces and it was Adrien who broke them apart. 

So no, Adrien wasn’t going to ask them what had happened, because he knew full well. 

———

Two weeks passed. 

Everyone had been broken by that point. 

Mylène and Ivan were working through their relationship. She trying hard to express her feelings and confide in him before all her bottled up emotions drove her crazy. And he trying to be more aware of what she was or may be feeling and helping her get in touch with them. They were on the mends, but it would take a while. They had realised their relationship wasn’t as strong as they first thought. 

Luka and Mylène helped each other. They had decided to meet up once a week to talk and share their thoughts and feelings and how they dealt with the problems they encountered. Both enjoyed the other’s views and company. They understood each other in those few hours even though they were very different people. Ivan noticed how Mylène’s time with Luka helped her and he trusted her. It wasn’t as though Mylène would rather confide in Luka rather than her boyfriend. It was more like he understood her at that time in life and she understood him. 

Alix, Kim, and Max all tried to stay friends, but none of them really wanted to talk about Marinette. They kept each other busy with activities after school and on the weekends. This all pleased them greatly as no one wanted to address their issues. But an air of mourning was present among the three and eventually they all drifted apart. Daily events became weekly and fake laughs and smiles grew tiresome. In those last three days, the three roamed the halls with sunken eyes and glazed over faces. 

Chloe remained in her room. She had no concept of time. The sun would rise and set and the room remained pitch black. Her father offered her counselling, brought in doctors, and even tried some ancient Chinese remedies, thinking she was sick. But Chloe stayed put. 

Nino and Alya looked much the same. They had decided to take a break on their relationship until both agreed they were ready to move on. Both had come to terms with the fact that Marinette was gone for good and so grieved as such. Guilt ruled their minds for those two weeks. A mean, unforgiving guilt that caused Alya to let herself go. She came to school in sweatpants and oversized t-shirts, her hair out and messy.   
A guilt that made Nino download hundreds of depressing songs and blast them into his ears. He never removed his ear phones.   
Both missed each other but were afraid of what the other thought of them. 

What if he thinks I’m more to blame? He would never want to see me. 

What if she hates me for being so insensitive? She would never want to speak to me. 

Adrien watched his two best friends drift away. He began to think he should intervene, but what could he say? Adrien didn’t know half their story. That half only Chat Noir knew, but then he didn’t know what Adrien knew. And the more he thought about it, who was he to give them advise? He still wasn’t over Marinette transferring. Sure he had hope in the start, but it was slowly fading with each gloomy day. He had seen Master Fu several times, nearly every day after school. Their conversations were the only thing getting him through each day. Fu would assure him that Hawkmoth wasn’t going to form any akumas: it was too risky as the police were so close to finding him. And he told him that Marinette was safe.   
Tikki was allowed to come back with Adrien some times to help him through a long night or just give him the company Plagg couldn’t. She would return to staying with Master Fu after the next visit, just to be safe. But spending that time with Tikki always brightened Adrien’s mood as it was like talking to Ladybug. He would be reminded in those times of his love for Ladybug and now Marinette. 

The news decided to stop broadcasting updates on the Dark Hood case. No one knew what was going on. They were basically forced to pretend it never happened. People moved on with their lives. Well, most people did anyway. Those who knew Marinette were greatly affected, they couldn’t just move on. But they understood the delicacy of the situation and how rules made were to keep Marinette safe. But that didn’t make it easier. 

Two weeks passed. 

———

Monday rolled around and things were more or less the new normal. 

Few words were shared among the class, pure conversational ones any way. People would ask for assignment dates and help on question seven, but no one asked their friend how their weekend was; they knew it was awful. 

Alya was scrolling through her phone when Nino walked in. 

She gave him a small glance before returning to her phone. 

Nino had given up sharing a hopeful smile in the morning and thus plopped himself in the seat in front of her. 

Adrien stumbled in, late as the new usual (he was finding it hard to get up in the morning). 

He smiled quickly at Nino before taking his seat and remaining there in silence until class started. 

Adrien was keen to get the class started. It meant he wouldn’t have to think about what happened last night: 

Last night Natalie had interrupted his photo shoot and taken him home without a word. 

“Please, wait in your room for me. I’ll be up in a minute.” She ordered, a tone of anxiousness in the air. 

Adrien wasn’t phased by her behaviour and simply obeyed her orders. Nothing made sense in his world. If he was in trouble, meh, he’d just add that to the list of things he had done wrong lately. If she needed help, meh, he’d help her, but it probably wasn’t going to be good help. 

He waited on his bed, eye lids lowered as he stared vacantly at his basketball hoop. 

Natalie rushed in, fidgeting. She pulled his desk chair around to sit facing him. 

Yet, Adrien did not care about the fact that she seemed desperately worried. He did not care that she was acting out of character. That she was biting her nails or pulling at her hair. He had bigger problems. What she could say to him could never be as worse as Marinette struggling for life, and he not being allowed to help her and protect her. 

“Adrien.” She started, her voice shaky. 

Adrien looked up, trying to look attentive as not to be rude. 

“As you may have noticed, y-your father has been away f-for a couple of weeks.” 

Adrien furrowed his brows. He hadn’t even noticed. 

“H-he’s been on a long... business trip. And he should’ve been home yesterday. B-but I’m afraid he got caught up at the air-port.” 

Adrien shrugged. He honestly thought the news would be worse. 

“T-the thing is, I’m not sure that he can just catch the next flight. The place he’s in- well Adrien, what I’m trying to tell you is, well... I-I don’t think he’s ever coming back.” Natalie’s voice lowered.

Adrien gave her a confused look. “What do you mean ‘never coming back’? Where is he?” 

Natalie was on the verge of tears. “I don’t know.” She shook her head. 

Adrien began to grow interested in what was happening around him. 

“W-what d-do you mean you don’t know. Didn’t he tell you? Don’t you organise his business trips?!” 

Natalie just sniffed. “I’m afraid I didn’t organise this one.” She sighed a quivering breath. 

Adrien took a moment to think. His father had been on a business trip, just by himself. He had been gone for two weeks. No one knew where he was. And now...he wasn’t coming back? 

“So...he’s not coming back?” Adrien asked, nervously, unsure of his feelings. 

Natalie reached out her hand and placed it gently on Adrien’s. “It’s very unlikely.” She whispered, not wanting to admit such a horrible thing. 

So yeah, school was a good distraction from whatever was going on with his father. 

Adrien just didn’t want to think about it. So even though Natalie said he could have the day off, Adrien opted to go to school the next morning. 

“Ok class, I have som good- no great news!” Mlle Bustier snapped Adrien’s attention to the front. 

Why was she smiling so much? Why did she have bright coloured clothes on — everyone had been waring black and dark greys and neutral colours for the past few weeks. 

Adrien looked around, everyone was just as intrigued as him. 

“Ok ok.” She composed herself.   
Everyone leaned forward in their seats. 

“So I just want to say that you are the first class to hear this because obviously, you guys are the most connected to Marinette.” 

Wide eyes darted around the room. She was talking about Marinette! A name they hadn’t heard in so long. A name they longed to hear in such a cheerful tone. 

“Yes so, I just received confirmation this morning in our staff meeting that I am indeed allowed to share with you the fact that Marinette has been transferred back to our local hospital!”

Excited chatter erupted. People were smiling, some laughing. Most were crying. 

“Yes she’s back and she’s safe! The police have found the Dark Hood and Hawkmoth and have them locked up. She is free for visiting. I’m sure we would all like to go after class today. I am seeing if we can go in our English lesson after lunch.” Mlle Bustier tried to continue, but it was no use. 

Marinette was back which meant so was hope.


	19. The Love Square

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Never doubt Alix’s sense of direction.   
> Why doesn’t Adrien Agreste want to see Marinette?

“Hey, Adrien, we’re going to see Marinette. Miss Bustier said we can go through lunch and into our English class.” Alix approached the boy on the stairs. 

Adrien looked up to see nearly the whole class heading out the school doors. “Y-Yeah ok, I ah, might catch up with you guys.” He smiled. 

“Ok, cool.” Alix chirped and ran off to her friends. 

Adrien swallowed nervously. Was this a dream? Had he dreamt all this? Maybe it was just too good to be true. Either way, would Marinette even want to see him? Could he even face her? 

Adrien looked around for Nino and Alya, and sure enough, they weren’t with the crowd but by themselves, eating their lunch in silence. 

He sighed. 

For two weeks they had waited for this moment. They had waited so long for the chance to see her. And now they were too scared to even leave the building. 

“What are you waiting for!?” Plagg demanded once Adrien had locked himself in a bathroom stall. 

“What if she hates me Plagg? What if she doesn’t want to see me? I can’t go show my face knowing what I did- well, didn’t do for her.” 

Plagg sighed. “Adrien listen to me. She won’t be mad or angry. If anything, she’s the one feeling guilty. And plus, she’s been caged up in hospital for two weeks. She probably dying to see a familiar face.”

Adrien furrowed his brows. “What do you mean she’s feeling guilty?” He asked, ignoring the rest of Plagg’s statement. “She did all she could to stop the murderer. It was us who didn’t do anything.”

“But she’s Ladybug remember. She’s going to feel guilty for abandoning you guys and for letting a civilian get hurt, even if it was herself. But she’s also going to think that she did the right thing.”

“But-“

“Adrien just stop overthinking everything! I know you want to see her, and I know she wants to see Adrien and Chat Noir. You need to talk to her.” Plagg demanded. 

Adrien was confused. A part of him wanted — needed — to overthink. He needed to prepare himself for what could happen. He needed to be ready for it so it didn’t take him by surprise, like Marinette nearly dying.

But the other part of him wanted to listen to Plagg. He wanted to be able to go along with his friends and see Marinette. He wanted to hear her laugh and talk.. 

He just really wanted to see her.

———

Marinette was sore to say the least. 

She had woken up to a small white hospital room. There were no windows, and a heavy pad-locked door. 

Is this what staying in hospital is like? 

Marinette had visited her grandma in hospital once and it was nothing like what her eyes were seeing. 

The room was like a prison. A cold, quiet prison. 

Then a distant memory came to view. She wasn’t in this room last time she woke up. Last time she woke, Master Fu was at her bedside and then came a blur of action and colours. And she could’ve sworn it happened twice. There was something about the second time that was quicker — less action. She couldn’t remember exactly, but it was a short transformation. Everything was just a blurry, confusing mess in her head. 

Of course, it had felt different those times to wake up. This was a slow wake, one that she knew was more permanent. 

But the room was definitely different to what she vaguely remembered. It was smaller, paler, and stuffy. 

Maybe she was just imagining it. Maybe it wasn’t as bad as her heavily medicated brain perceived it to be. 

But as she tried to move her hand up to rub her blurry eyes, a force — much like a metal hand cuff — stopped her wrist from moving more than two inches. 

Marinette quickly looked down and sure enough, both her wrists were chained to the sides of the bed. 

She tried to wiggle them free and grew increasingly panicked. This was not the room she was in before. This was not the room she woke up in with Master Fu telling her to transform. She had been kidnapped! 

“Hey, hey, easy there, calm down!” A nurse bursted through the door after many clicks of locks. 

Marinette gave her a distressed look before beginning to hyperventilate. 

“Shh, it’s ok sweety, you’re ok. Deep breaths.” The nurse tried to help her calm down. 

And strangely enough, Marinette was calmed by her melodic voice. 

“There, that’s better.” She smiled. 

Marinette smiled nervously back. She then noticed that the lady she was looking at wasn’t completely in focus. So she tried to reach up and rub her eyes, but was once again stopped by the hand cuffs. 

The nurse quickly realised her struggling and grabbed her hand. 

“They’re there to protect you.” She kindly explained. “You’ve been transferred to a safe-house hospital because your life was at stake. No one knows you’re here, except your parents of course. But I’m the only one allowed to open that door. I’m your nurse, Kathryn.” She smiled. 

Marinette let all the information sink in. 

Was she here because of the attack on Wednesday? Didn’t the heroes stop him? Wasn’t that the point of her sacrifice? She could’ve swore that the only reason she was alive now was because the Dark Hood had been stopped. Sure she would’ve liked it if he was stopped sooner, but it was raining loudly and it was an honest mistake. The main thing was that everyone was safe. But then why was she in a safe-house? 

Maybe this had something to do with the akuma attacks. Or maybe why Chloe said something bad to her (she couldn’t remember what it was exactly, only that she felt awful). But that was to Ladybug, not Marinette. Wasn’t it?   
She could barely remember how she got in a hospital bed in the first place and here she was trying to figure out why. 

Kathryn noticed Marinette’s distress and gently stroked her hand. “You’ve been unconscious for about a week now and you’ve recovered quickly. Your parents see you everyday, and I’ll be sure to tell them that you’ve woken up. But for now, I’ll keep these machines on, just to make sure, I know they are loud. But they were all this hospital had. You’re safe here though. You’ll continue to get better here, and when it’s safe to return to the Paris hospital you will.” She smiled. 

Marinette tried to smile back. How long was she going to have to stay in this prison? Why wasn’t it safe at home? How long had she been away?

———

“Come on guys, I think it’s this way.”

“Alix no, the lady said to follow the green line.”

“No, she said that the floor Marinette is on is green.”

“Yeah, the fifth floor is the green floor.”

“Guys hurry up, she’s through here.”

“Do you even know where you are?”

“I think we’re lost.” 

“Alix doesn’t seem like she’s lost.”

“Alix is lost, she just doesn’t think she is-.”

“Here, I found it!”

“I stand corrected.” 

Alix opened the door slowly, six pairs of eyes peering in behind her. 

“Marinette?” Alix asked cautiously as she stepped into the room. 

Marinette heard her friends coming down the hallway and was sitting up in bed with a wide smile. How she had missed them all. Especially Alya...and Adrien, and Nino. 

“Come in.” She called as best she could. 

Everyone’s face lit up at the sound of her voice. They rushed in like buffalos to a river bank. 

“Oh Marinette are you ok?”

“Was it scary?”

“How are you feeling?”

“Don’t scare us like that again ok.”

“Guys calm do, give her some space.” Alix shewed them out of Marinette’s face. 

Marinette laughed. “It’s ok.” She chirped. But her happy expression dropped for no more than a second once she saw that her three closet friends weren’t there. 

“How are you guys?” She quickly said before they could notice her discouragement. 

“Lousy without you.” Mylène stated plainly. 

Everyone either nodded or hummed in agreement. 

Marinette suddenly felt awful. “I’m so sorry, I really didn’t mean to cause such trouble.” 

Alix chuckled. “It’s not like you could’ve done anything. It’s not your fault.” 

“Yeah, don’t feel bad.” Rose added with a kind smile. 

“Well I’m still sorry, I really didn’t want to worry any of you.” Marinette admitted. 

“It’s ok Marinette. The main thing is that you’re back and everything can go back to normal.” Mylène comforted. 

“Yeah, we just needed to know that you were alright.” 

Marinette was taken back. “Well...didn’t the hospital tell you. I mean I was unconscious but still, you’re my friends, I don’t want you to worry.” 

Everyone shook their heads. “They said they couldn’t tell anyone anything. We reckon it’s because you were attacked.” Kim remembered proudly. 

“Yeah, they wouldn’t let us see you.” Alix added. 

The room was quiet as everyone remembered that dark time. 

“And then they transferred you and we all thought we’d never see you again.” Mylène spoke up solemnly. 

Marinette has never felt so bad. “I am so sorry-“

“It’s not your fault Marinette, it’s Hawkmoth’s.” Juleka said quickly. 

“Yeah, this is all Hawkmoth’s fault!” Rose declared being the only one to hear her. 

“It sure is.”

“I reckon he’s been caught to, there hasn’t been an akuma attack for like two weeks.” 

“Yeah, he’s probably been be-headed.” Juleka added softly. 

Alix heard her and gasped. Then she smiled. “You know what, I think that’s exactly what’s happened.” 

The two smiled. 

“Wait, wait, Hawkmoth’s been captured? B-by Ladybug and Chat Noir?” Marinette asked hastily in an unsure tone. 

“Statistically speaking, the media would have announced Hawkmoth’s capture. So no, Hawkmoth has not been captured.” Max explained. 

“Um guys, didn’t Miss Bustier say the authorities had locked away the Dark Hood and Hawkmoth? That’s why Marinette’s back, because there’s no longer a threat.” Mylène explained. “Was I the only one who was listening to her announcement this morning?” 

The room was silent. No one had listened to an announcement for at least two weeks. 

“All I heard was that we could see Marinette.” Alix admitted. 

Everyone hummed in agreement. 

“Wait so, Hawkmoth’s gone? He’s been arrested?” Marinette wanted to confirm. 

“Yeah I guess so.” Alix shrugged. 

Marinette became nervous for some reason. What did this mean for her? For Ladybug? Would she still be able to talk to Tikki? Of course Hawkmoth being captured was a good thing, but Marinette just wasn’t sure what it meant for her. 

“Anyway... how much longer will you be in hospital for? When are you coming back to school?” Alix changed the mood. 

“Oh ah, I don’t know, I think they said it’s too early to tell.” Marinette recalled. 

“Why? You look great!” Alix remarked. 

Marinette giggled. 

“Just because she looks fine doesn’t mean she is Alix.” Mylène rolled her eyes. 

Marinette smiled. “I am feeling a lot better now you guys are here.”

“So what’s the problem? I say, we break outta here and go to the park or something.” Alix suggested, a little sarcastically. 

“Yeah, let me just rip these tubes out and I’ll be right with you.” Marinette laughed. But she immediately hunched over in pain. Her ribs ached. She hadn’t laughed for two weeks which was probably a good thing since her ribs had been broken. It hurt. 

Mylène quickly rushed to her side. “Marinette are you ok?” 

“Yeah, yeah I’m fine.” She said through gritted teeth as she sat back up. 

“Sorry Marinette, I didn’t mean to-.” Alix quickly apologised. 

“It’s not your fault, I shouldn’t have laughed.” Marinette smiled, biting her tongue as she learnt from her mistake. 

“We should probably go guys, it’s getting close to our next lesson.” Ivan reminded the group. 

“Are you sure you’re ok?” Mylène quickly checked. 

“I’m fine, now go. Don’t be late to class because of me.” Marinette waved them off. 

The room was quiet once again. She felt so lonely all of a sudden. How had she lived like this for a week?

Marinette manoeuvred back down into a lying down position and closed her eyes. She suddenly felt so exhausted. 

———

Alya and Nino didn’t want to bring the subject up. Of course they were dying to visit Marinette, but what would she say? What would she do? They obviously couldn’t visit her as heroes. But what would she say to them about their secret lives? What was she going to say about the pathetic heroes to her close friends? Could Alya take the hit? Could Nino not let on his pain? 

Both of them knew how the other was feeling. They had been together long enough to know. Even in whatever their relationship or non-relationship was, they still knew each other. 

It was a quiet lunch break, hidden in the locker room. Most of their friends had left to see Marinette, they didn’t want to get asked questions as to why they didn’t go. So they hid like cowards, eating out of their lockers. 

“Alya?” Adrien asked as he walked out of the boys bathrooms and saw the red-haired girl sitting sorrowfully on a bench. 

Alya turned quickly to the voice. 

“Oh h-hey Adrien.” She tried to sound positive. 

“Too nervous to see Marinette?” Adrien read her mind. 

Alya hung her head as the blond boy sat down next to her. 

“How can I see her Adrien? After what I did to her, I can’t bare to look her in the eyes.” Alya whispered. 

Adrien placed his hand on her knee. He felt the same way. How could he show his face knowing what he did? But then he remembered what Plagg said. He remembered that Marinette probably wanted to see her friends. She had been stuck in hospital for two weeks. 

“We’re going to have to see her at some point. And now that she’s back, she’s probably wondering why her best friend isn’t visiting her.” Adrien smiled warmly as he tried to comfort her. 

This was what he was supposed to be doing for the past two weeks: assuring his team, giving them hope, and making sure they were ok. It was Chat Noir’s duty as the leader, that meant it was also Adrien’s. 

Alya sighed. “How can you say I’m her best friend-“

“Because you are!” Adrien bursted. “She doesn’t know what happened, she probably doesn’t care. All Marinette knows right now is that her best friend didn’t jump at the chance to see her.” 

Alya was silent. Marinette didn’t know what happened. She didn’t see the same angle to the situation as all the heroes did. She probably would be more upset at Alya for not coming to visit her. 

“Wait,” Alya’s constructive thoughts were interrupted, “why haven’t you gone to see her then?”

Adrien stiffen and took his hand back. “Ah I, I just-“

“You just what?” Alya egged on. 

What was Adrien to say? He couldn’t say that he felt guilty to, why would Adrien feel guilty? 

“B-because I...I’m in love with her!” Adrien cried and proceeded to desperately cover his mouth. 

Alya’s eyes widened. 

“Who’s in love?” Nino popped his head around the corner to see a scarlet boy and a giddy Alya. 

“He is!” She cried. “Adrien finally realised that he loves Marinette!” 

Nino raced over. “Way to go dude. Took ya a while though.” He punched him playfully. 

Adrien threw up his hands, a little confused. “What do you mean ‘took a while’?”

Alya and Nino rolled their eyes. 

“She’s only been in love with you for centuries! It’s about time you realised that you definitely have feelings for her to.” Alya explained. 

Adrien’s jaw dropped. “Marinette’s in love with me!?” 

“Nah dude, she just nervous around you cause you’re scary.” Nino laughed sarcastically. 

“Yeah it was pretty obvious Agreste.” Alya patted him on the back as he stared out in utter confusion. 

Marinette was in love with Adrien? Was that why Ladybug wasn’t in love with Chat Noir? And was the fact that Chat Noir was in love with Ladybug the reason why Adrien hadn’t seen Marinette as more than just a friend until a few weeks ago? 

Adrien began to think back. Had he only thought of Marinette as the love of his life when he found out she was Ladybug? No. No, it was before that. He had loved Marinette and Ladybug at the same time as if they were two different people! That’s why he couldn’t concentrate during the battle on Wednesday, and why Marinette’s company was the sweetest thing on Tuesday, and why he was angry after the meeting on Monday. 

He really was in love with Marinette.   
And he hadn’t thought for a second that she liked him back. 

“I think we all need to go see her right now.” He demanded. 

Alya rose to her feet. “Ok. Let’s go-“ 

The sound of the hash bell sat them all back down. They had missed their chance. 

Adrien sighed and began to head to class. 

Alya pulled Nino aside before he followed. “Can we see her tonight?” She asked. 

Nino hesitated. Alya hadn’t talked to him directly for so long.

“Y-yeah, we can go tonight.” He smiled. 

———

Juleka arrived home that evening after a long day at school. 

It was dark by the time she stepped onto the boat as she had been at Rose’s house for dinner. 

“Luka?” She called as she usually did. 

Luka naturally grumbled from his room of despair.

Juleka peeked around the corner to see her brother humming and fiddling with the turning pegs on his guitar. 

“Um, since you weren’t at school today, I think you should probably know that Marinette’s back here in Paris.” Juleka stated plainly. 

Luka jumped up from his bed and rushed over. He grabbed his sister’s shoulders with urgency. 

“Is she ok?” He demanded. 

Juleka nodded. “She seemed fine. The class went and saw her today.” 

Luka took a few deep breaths as he ran his hands through his blue hair. 

“C-can I see her?” He asked, hesitantly. 

Juleka shrugged. “I guess so.” 

“B-but what about Hawkmoth- a-and the Dark Hood, are they—“

“Miss Bustier said they were locked away.” Juleka finished. 

“Then why doesn’t Paris know? Shouldn’t the media tell us something as big as that?”

“Maybe they’re waiting for Ladybug and Chat Noir to make an announcement.” 

Luka paused in thought. Why was he worrying about Hawkmoth? Marinette was back and she was alive, that’s all that mattered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Why hasn’t the media broadcasted Hawkmoth’s capture? Maybe Gabriel Agreste has been making bribes to keep his name and company safe?


	20. Y-You’re Chat Noir?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dude we’re getting the band back together!   
> Alya finally mends her relationship with Marinette. Now she can focus on getting Adrien and Marinette together.   
> Adrien finally visits Marinette, properly.

“Hey.” 

“Oh, ah, hi.”

“How are you?”

“I-I’m, good, I’m good.”

“...that’s good to um hear.” 

“Y-Yeah well, I guess a lot can happen in two weeks.”

“Yeah, I guess it can.” 

“How are you?”

“Marinette you shouldn’t worry about me.”

“Alya, I’m your best friend, I have the legal rights to worry about you.” 

A tear slipped down Alya’s cheek. 

Marinette pursed her lips together. She knew Alya wasn’t ok. 

“Do you want to talk about it? I’m not going anywhere.” Marinette joked to soften the mood. 

Alya smiled through her tears and nodded, reaching out to hold Marinette’s hand. 

Chat Noir watched as the scene unfolded before his eyes. How he wanted to see Marinette and feel her touch. But he knew Alya needed her more than he did in that moment.   
He watched as the girls talked into late hours of the night. Perched on a ledge on the side of the hospital wall, he saw her smile, laugh, and cry through the window. It was all he needed. To see her, even from a distance, hidden in the darkness. He watched her intimately and wondered how such an amazing girl could love him. How could she love Adrien? How could someone as strong and determined as Ladybug love someone as bland and boring as Adrien? He didn’t deserve her. He was so lucky to be able to protect her. He, a simple boy, was granted the gift of protecting the magnificent princess. He was honoured to say the least. And he was going to make sure, now that Marinette was back, that he protected her as best he could. It was the least he could do for her and for Paris. As he said before, it was Ladybug’s job to protect Paris, and it was his job to protect Ladybug. It was his duty to protect Marinette. So on the ledge he stayed, watching her, protecting her. 

———

The whole class room seemed brighter that Tuesday. People wore smiles and bright colours. Girls hair was brushed neatly and boys clothes were fresh. Everyone’s mood had been lifted. They knew everything was going to be ok. 

“Hey Adrien, you and Marinette should join us for a double date next week.” Alya smiled across at the blond boy as the three of them are their lunch. 

Adrien nearly chocked on his lettuce. He hadn’t even technically seen Marinette since her return. She didn’t know he was Chat Noir, she didn’t know he knew she was Ladybug, and they weren’t dating! 

“Marinette’s still in hospital, h-how can we double date?” He sputtered. 

“Well I was thinking we could bring her dinner one night and eat in the room.” Alya explained with a sly smile. 

Adrien pondered for a moment. He wasn’t going to get out of this, was he.

“Y-yeah, o-o-ok. But, Marinette and I aren’t dating, so let’s not call it a double date.”

“Call it whatever you want Agreste, but by next week, you and Marinette will definitely be dating.” Alya said casually before standing up to place a wrapper in the bin, hindering Adrien’s argument. 

“At least she’s feeling better.” Adrien sighed to Nino. 

Nino laughed. “Yeah, she is. What you said yesterday really seemed to help, thanks dude.”

“You don’t need to thank me, I was just doing what I should’ve.” 

“Yeah but, it’s still nice that you did.”

“Well I’m glad I did help.” 

“Hey Adrien, I just remembered, Marinette wanted to know if you were ok, you didn’t visit her yesterday. Why not?” Alya sat back down. 

“Yeah dude, we went last night, you should’ve come with us.” Nino added, Alya promptly nudged him. 

“Um well, I-I had a photo shoot and Natalie wanted me home so...” Adrien shrugged nervously and looked away, like a lier. 

“Well you should come visit her this afternoon with us.” Alya suggested. 

“Y-Yeah, sure.” Adrien agreed, quickly shoving his face with food. 

He didn’t know if he could see her just casually with Alya and Nino. They had so much to talk about, stuff that he couldn’t tell her with Alya and Nino around. But she did probably want to see Adrien. He just didn’t know if he could keep his mouth shut for a whole visit. 

“Cool! My mum can give us a lift so we don’t have to walk.” Alya chirped. 

“Cool.” Adrien mumbled incoherently as he scoffed down more lunch. 

———

Juleka, Rose, Mylène, and Ivan had all decided that they needed to make a get well song for Marinette. So that lunch time, they all headed to Juleka’s to practice, and Mylène had agreed to film it once they were ready. She enjoyed watching them practice, having no idea about music though, it sounded like they were speaking another language. Nevertheless, she enjoyed it. Especially watching Ivan on the drums. 

Luka stumbled out of his room at the sound of lively chatter in the living room. 

“What are you guys doing?” He asked skeptically, scanning the room for any guilty faces. But what he saw instead was sheet music and a guitar! 

“Luka!” Rose cried out joyfully. “You’re just in time to help us write a song for Marinette!” 

“Oh I-I-“

“Come on Luka, they could really use your help.” Mylène encouraged him. 

“We’re not that bad.” Juleka mumbled under her breath. 

Luka smiled, even though no one could hear her, he knew exactly what she said. 

“I guess lunch isn’t over for another hour.” He gave in, wandering over to the group. Maybe this would be his chance to see Marinette. 

———

Adrien let Alya lead the way even though he knew the route back to front. Marinette’s room was still on the fifth floor in the children’s ward, room 12. But Adrien hadn’t seen Marinette since the incident. Well he had, but only Master Fu knew that. 

This fact however didn’t change the seasick feeling in his stomach. Butterflies would have been an understatement. It felt more like headless chickens at feeding time. How could he face Marinette? But then he remembered what Plagg had told him. He hoped she really did want to see his face. She had asked Alya about him, so maybe it was true. But still, those chickens were ever present as Alya knocked on the door, and a soft ‘come in’ followed. 

Adrien stepped in behind Nino. He peered up nervously as he emerged from the corner and saw Marinette’s face turn bright red. 

“Hey girl, we just thought we’d pop in, see how you were doing.” Alya smiled kindly, drawing Marinette’s attention away from the blond boy. 

“I’m good,” Marinette chirped, “how was school? Did I miss anything important.” 

“Nothing more important than what we’ve covered in the past two weeks.” Nino uttered sarcastically with a laugh as he sat down in the lone seat, leaving the end of the bed for Alya. 

Adrien found a nice part of the wall to lean on. 

Marinette allowed a small giggle. 

“I’m sure the teacher’s will give you extensions or something.” Alya. 

“I hope so, I don’t know how much I’ve missed.” Marinette kept her eyes firmly off Adrien. 

“If you need help later Marinette, I’d be happy to assist.” Adrien smiled after spending a minute thinking of the right thing to say. 

Marinette’s cheeks flew up in flames. “O-oh ah, ok, thank you.” 

Adrien smiled warmly. She was so cute. 

Marinette and Alya continued talking with Adrien just staring dreamily at Marinette. Sure he had seen her the night before, but it was different. For starters, he could actually see her in this light, she wasn’t constantly being hidden by Alya’s shadow. And her voice was a lot more melodic up close, he could hear the joy in her tone.   
Her dark blue hair was vibrant from the sun shining in from the window across the room. How did he not managed to match it to his lady’s beautiful locks? It seemed so obvious now — the hair, the bluebell eyes, the kind smile. It was all Ladybug. And on that thought, Adrien noticed the earrings. He smiled at the thought of Tikki being back with her wilder and Master Fu paying a visit. Adrien suddenly stiffened. What had Master Fu told her? What did she now know? Did she know he was Chat Noir? 

“Adrien!” Alya’s voice snapped Adrien back into reality. “Did you hear what I said?” 

Adrien blinked a few times to see Nino with an all-knowing grin plastered on his face, Alya looking fed up with her hands on her hips, and Marinette stiff in her bed with blushing cheeks. 

“Ah...no, s-sorry.” Adrien mumbled. 

Alya rolled her eyes. “I was just telling Marinette here that we were thinking of going on a double date next week. Does Wednesday work for you?” 

Adrien gaped and went red as a tomato. 

“I-I-I, a-ah, um, I-I-“ 

Why was he stuttering? How was he stuttering? He was Adrien Agreste. He had no reason to stutter. Yet here he was. 

Adrien uncontrollably looked towards Marinette. Had Alya just told her that he liked her? He really wished he had been paying attention. Now he was stuck. Was he supposed to ask Marinette out? What if she didn’t want to by the time she figured out he was Chat Noir? 

“Adrien oh my goodness, it’s a yes or no question.” Alya was getting fed up with Adrien’s zoning out. 

“S-Sorry, w-what’s happening Wednesday?” 

Alya slapped her forehead violently. 

Nino bursted out in laughed. 

Marinette gave a kind smile. Poor Adrien was being teased by Alya. He didn’t know what was going on; must’ve been a long day. He probably had a lot on his schedule lately, that was why he was the last out of the class to come visit her (besides Chloe and Sabrina of course). She felt sorry for him, he probably wanted to sleep. 

“We thought you might like to join us for pizza here on Wednesday, but maybe you should get some rest instead.” 

“S-Sorry, I just. Yeah, I’ve had a few late nights.” Adrien rubbed the back of his neck nervously. “But I’ll come.” He smiled, glancing over at Marinette for her reaction. 

Alya smiled at the action. If only she could tell Marinette everything. But she knew it was Adrien who had to confess. She had kept Marinette’s secret for this long, she could keep Adrien’s a bit longer. That being said, there wasn’t anything in their unspoken agreement that said she couldn’t set up dates and pester him about it. 

“Right, mum wanted me home to babysit, sorry Marinette. You two can stay.” Alya rose to leave and gave Nino a death stare as she did. 

He eventually got the hint and got up promptly. “Y-Yeah dude, I gotta go to. See you later.” He waved to Marinette and patted Adrien on the back as he walked out behind Alya. 

Adrien stood, baffled as to what just happened. He looked over at Marinette who seemed just as confused. Until something seemed to click and her cheeks flared up. 

Adrien didn’t understand what had caused that reaction and merely checked the time. He didn’t know why, just a force of habit. Then he realised his father wasn’t home so he didn’t have a curfew. 

Adrien shrugged and wondered over to Nino’s seat. Then he realised, this was the perfect time to talk to Marinette! But he hadn’t prepared for such a conversation. What was he allowed to tell her? What did Master Fu say he could tell her? Should he just leave? 

“Alya told me that you saw what happened...to me that is...a few weeks ago.” Marinette spoke up. 

Adrien let a breath escape. He couldn’t do this to her, he couldn’t lie. 

“I’m so sorry you had to see that. The plan was to get civilians as far away as possible, but I guess no one saw you in that rain. I could barely see anything.” Marinette tried to lighten the conversation with a smile. “I’m just sorry we weren’t more careful.” 

Wow. She really did take on the burden of the team. Not once had she said ‘the heroes’ or provided an excuse, it was all ‘I’m sorry’. 

“And I know Alya and Nino saw it to, but I don’t know, I just feel like you probably saw more and I’m just so sorry Adrien-“

“Marinette please,” Adrien interrupted. He couldn’t take any more of this. “Please stop apologising. Y-You were right. You always are. You did the right thing, it was us. We mucked up. We failed ok, we were supposed to protect you. You had no choice, I know that now. So I can’t hear you apologise for something you couldn’t help. I could’ve helped, but I didn’t. I could’ve saved you. But I didn’t. I’m just so sorry it all happened as it did. You don’t know how many times a day I wished I had been the one down in the alley. But I’m so glad you’re safe. I’m so happy you’re back and you’re alive! I guess what I’m trying to say is, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry Marinette.” Adrien was hunched over the side of her bed on his knees, tears running down his cheeks. 

Marinette just stared at the clearly distressed boy in shock. She didn’t know how to process what he had just said. 

“A-Adrien, what?” 

Adrien looked up and wiped his cheeks. He pursed his lips together and stared lovingly into her eyes. “Don’t ever sacrifice yourself like that again M’lady, that’s my job.” He whispered softly in her ear before taking a step back and towards the door. 

He had said all he needed to. Enough that he could leave her with while she healed. The rest they could talk about later. He just needed to get some things out in the open and he guessed his uncontrollable spill said what his mind really needed him to let go of. True he never planned to tell her all that when he woke up that morning. But he was glad he did.   
He finally felt like there was closure on the situation.

“Adrien wait!” Marinette quickly grabbed his hand. 

Adrien stopped willingly and sat back down. 

“I-I, I don’t what to say.” She mumbled, still not yet processing. Adrien had just broken down in front of her. What was her brain supposed to do other than shut down? 

“You don’t need to say anything. I know everything. It’s going to be ok. You just focus on getting better.” Adrien said calmly, placing his hand on hers. 

This seemed to clam her down a bit as she took time to register what he said. 

“W-what do you mean by everything? What do you mean you could’ve helped? Why are you sorry? And why is it your job to sacrifice yourself?” She spat out quickly. 

Adrien just smiled knowingly. “It doesn’t matter now. We can talk later.” 

He didn’t want her worrying about him. He didn’t want her overthinking the whole him being Chat Noir thing as he had with her. He just wanted her to get better. 

“N-no, why can’t we talk now?” Marinette’s hand kept him from leaving. 

“Because you should be resting.” Adrien said simply. 

“W-what is going on, what happened?” Marinette demanded. 

Adrien sighed. He wasn’t getting away. She wanted to know exactly what was going on. To be fair, he had just indirectly told her that he knew her deepest secret. She probably deserved an explanation.

“You’re an amazing girl Marinette. Paris needs you. I need you.” Adrien let out a remorseful sigh. “I will never forget your pale face. Blood dripping from you nose and lip. Your hair ruffled. Your body as fragile as a flower. Your voice shaking as you whispered “I’m sorry”.”

Marinette didn’t remember whispering to Adrien. She didn’t really remember anything after her head hit that wall. 

“It was too much. I couldn’t loose you as it was. It was our duty to protect you Marinette. And we failed. We let our best friend nearly die. It broke our hearts. It broke my heart. Then everyone freaked out. The world without Marinette was dark and dead. We all grew numb to the pain. But it wasn’t just the fact that Marinette was gone. It was the fact that Ladybug was to. Paris had never seen such dark days. And it didn’t help that no one knew. I’ve tried to explain it as much as I can to give the team some sanity, but they needed to see you. Both of you. I know Alya probably took it the worst. But Chloe hasn’t left her room for weeks, no one’s seen her. And Nino has never let anyone down in his life. Your like his younger sister, it tore him apart when he saw you half dead in that alley.” Adrien sighed. “I’m sorry for dumping this all on you. But you wanted to know what had happened. Paris died. But you’re back now, and you can make it all better.” He smiled to try and cover up the dark story. 

Marinette was speechless once again. 

“H-how, w-what? D-do you- do you know? How? Why?” She gaped at him. 

“Someone had to find out. I don’t think I would’ve made it if I didn’t know.” Adrien explained. “And I don’t think you would’ve made it if I hadn’t known.”

Marinette took a moment to think. Why? Was all she could think. Why did Adrien need to know? And how did he know so much about Nino and Alya and Chloe? And he kept saying we? Why? And at one point he said team? But what team? Wait- Chloe Alya Nino- the heroes! He was talking about the heroes?! But he included himself. Why? The only other member was— no, no way. It couldn’t be.   
Marinette glanced over at the blond green-eyed boy. On no. 

“Y-you, y-you’re—“

“Sorry you had to find out like this m’lady. But you wanted an explanation.” Adrien shrugged, bracing himself for her response. 

“Y-you mean,” she swallowed. “You mean you’re— you’re C-Chat Noir?”

Adrien nodded carefully. 

“A-and y-you know I-I’m-“

Adrien nodded again. 

Marinette let out a breath. “Does anyone else know?” She quickly checked. 

“I don’t think so. I know the team doesn’t, and they would probably benefit from finding out, but I won’t tell them.”

“What do you mean they would benefit from finding out?”

“Well...they kinda hate you. I mean I told them you were sick, but still, they sometimes blame you for letting, well you, be nearly killed by the murderer.”

Marinette gave Adrien a puzzled look. Her brain was on too much medication to comprehend his riddles. 

“They blame Ladybug for letting Marinette end up in hospital.”

“Oh.” 

“But I understand. It was the only thing we could do. Since Hawkmoth wanted your earrings, the best chance we had was actually luring him out with them. We just should’ve been more prepared as a team to work without you.” Adrien quickly said before she began to doubt herself. 

“As long as no one else got hurt.” Marinette stared vacantly as she processed everything. 

Adrien didn’t have the heart to tell her that everyone else got hurt. He knew that’d be dumb. But he couldn’t help but think it.


	21. Things are Back to Normal. Aren’t They?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> All aboard the emotion train. First stop, Feelings Valley. Then we’ll continue on to Relationship City. Making a final stop at Understanding Avenue.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It’s not THAT emotional, just calm down

Alya decided it was time to update her Ladyblog. The news had just broadcasted a Hawkmoth and Dark Hood update and she had a little time before school to write a report. 

She decided it would be best to keep it short and simple, just as the media had. She didn’t want to risk her identity, and quite frankly, she didn’t know what was going on anyway, nor did she care. Marinette was back and that was all that mattered. She didn’t care if Hawkmoth was lose or captured, she could face anything. 

Alya still wondered when and if Ladybug would recover. Her mind had been preoccupied with worrying over Marinette, she hadn’t really took the time to think about it. But now, she wondered if Ladybug was just going to show up one day and ask for her Miraculous back.   
She knew Nino was desperate to get rid of his and his wish was granted one random night about a week ago. His Miraculous just disappeared with a simple, vague note replacing it. She was just waiting now for the day that Ladybug secretly took hers back now as well. But to be honest, she had come quite attached to it. Trixx and her, though they were different, had become really close. He was there when Nino or Marinette couldn’t be. And Alya didn’t think she could just let that go. 

Yet even within her worries, Alya managed to write a small article about what she had heard that fine Thursday morning. 

By the time she got to school, there were several questions about her post and lack of for the past few weeks. Alya began to regret putting herself back out there. She knew eventually she’d have to write about Marinette’s case. She just wasn’t ready to do that yet. 

“Hey babe, good work on that post this morning.” Nino smiled as he greeted her. 

“You think? I’m debating whether or not I should take it down. People keep asking to write about, well you know.” Alya’s eyes didn’t leave her phone as Nino embraced her. 

“Ignore them. You’ll write something when you’re ready, and you should just tell them that.” Nino suggested as they walked to class. 

Alya gave him a puzzled look. 

“You know. Just respond with, ‘sorry, Marinette is a close friend of mine and this is a delicate subject’.” Nino shrugged. 

Alya sighed. “How do you always know what to do?” 

“I’m amazing.” Nino offered with a laugh. “But seriously, you just need to tell everyone the truth. If they’re so desperate for a story, they can go ask Marinette herself.” 

“You’re right. I’ll leave it up. It wasn’t my best work, but it’s there now.” Alya agreed triumphantly. 

“That’s my girl.” Nino hugged her. “Oh and by the way, don’t make any plans for tonight.” Nino winked. 

Alya gave him a suspicious look. 

“I’ve made reservations, and I’m not going to tell you where because that would spoil the surprise.” Nino gave in quickly. 

Alya laughed. “Let’s see if you can keep that surprise until lunch.” 

“Is that a challenge?” Nino demanded. 

Alya just giggled before running off to class. 

———

It had been another long day for Marinette. Reporters had been in and out of her room all day, well, until the nurse saw that she was getting worn out and shewed them off. 

The sun setting told her it was late afternoon and what a perfect time for television. 

“Hawkmoth and the Dark Hood are no longer a threat to Parisians. They have been said to be contained and will face the first of many trials tomorrow on Friday. The trial is not open for public viewing. This information is brought to us by the chief of police-” Marinette turned the tv off. Hawkmoth was gone. The city was safe. So why wasn’t she rejoicing? 

That’s it? Hawkmoth’s captured just like that? I barely did anything. All these years of working hard — balancing school life and hero business — for him to be caught out of no where. I mean I guess the other heroes probably did something, my time before the safe house is still really blurry. But still, I can’t believe he’s gone. 

Marinette thought as she stared longingly out the window. Her mind drifted off into thoughts of being Ladybug and running over rooftops and swinging through the streets. Oh how she wanted — needed — to get out there. The hospital bed was so restricting, so draining. She needed to recharge and becoming Ladybug allowed her to do that. And now with Hawkmoth and everything going on, she needed to clear her mind more than ever. 

“Marinette, you know what Master Fu said about transforming-“

“I know, I know.” Marinette waved Tikki away. 

“Did you see the news?” Adrien bursted in not a moment later.

“I just saw it.” Marinette replied solemnly, beginning to sit up in her bed. Her dreams outside the window could wait. 

“Isn’t it great?! Hawkmoth is gone! He’s finally getting what he deserves.” Adrien cried. 

“Paris is a lot more safer without him.” Marinette smiled, glancing quickly towards the window. 

But Adrien wasn’t fooled. “What’s wrong.” His voice lowered. 

Marinette sighed. “Well what’s going to happen to us? I mean we’re heroes, and we only became heroes because there was a villain. What are we now?” 

“We’re still heroes Marinette. Paris still needs us, there’s plenty of bad guys to fight. But not now, you need to get better first.” Adrien brushed her hand gently. 

“I-I know, but—“ Marinette’s gaze turned to the window. 

“No buts Marinette. How many times do I have to tell you. We can’t go out on patrol, it’s not necessary. We can’t risk you getting hurt again.” Adrien pleaded. 

“Adrien, I’m fine.” She honestly felt fine physically. But mentally, she was dying. if she thought about it, it was like she was having withdrawals. She had become addicted to the Ladybug life, and with Hawkmoth gone, she might not ever get a chance to be Ladybug again! She missed the adrenaline and the excitement so much, how could she live without it? 

“I don’t care. I’m not loosing you again. Marinette, I love you.” 

Marinette couldn’t deal with this now. “How was school?” She quickly changed topic. 

“Marinette I’m serious. I care about you. And you keep bringing this hero thing up. I don’t think you understand.” Adrien knew she wanted to go out. She had asked him several times if she could transform, even for a moment to leave the room. But he cared about her too much to risk her getting hurt again. He was determined to protect her this time. 

“Adrien please, I can’t do this now.” 

“Do what? Talk about us? Marinette I told you that I liked you several times before all this happened and I meant it. I need you to know that I still mean it. And I don’t care if you feel the same way, I just- well I can’t live without you, so please, please don’t go transforming and running along rooftops even though I know you desperately want to. We can go when you’re better.”

“But I am. I’m fine! I don’t know why I’m still here.” Marinette cried. 

“Because the doctors want you here. And I trust the doctors know what they’re doing.” Adrien brushed the hair out of her eyes. 

Marinette huffed. He was being over protective. But she couldn’t blame him, she had almost died on him. 

“I’m sorry I just-“

“I know. You want to leave, no one gets that more than me. But I need you Marinette. So if you can’t stay safe for you, do it for me.” Adrien placed a kiss on her forehead. 

She knew she loved him. But then why couldn’t she say it back? Every time she thought about them her head hurt. She needed to clear her head to understand all her feelings, especially her ones towards Adrien. She felt bad for not being able to talk to him about them because she could see he wanted to. But it was impossible to think inside that dull room. She felt like she had designers block, and the harder she tried to think, the more her brain hurt. She knew the only way to cure herself was to go to the most inspirational place in Paris — the place she went when she felt lost or confused — the Eiffel Tower. And only Ladybug could take her there. 

Adrien could see that she wasn’t giving up. Why was her persistence so attractive? 

“Please Marinette.” Adrien tried again. “Promise me you won’t go out as Ladybug.” 

Marinette turned her head away from the window reluctantly. It was her fault he was like this. 

“Ok.” She agreed softly. 

Adrien knew that was as far as he could go. If she wanted to escape, she could easily. He wasn’t always going to be around to protect her. But he at least needed to do all that he could this time to keep her safe. 

——— 

“Hey Alya!” Mylène called as she approached Alya on the school steps. 

“Hey Mylène what’s up?” Alya waited for her friend. 

“The other girls and I were wondering if you wanted to come to Juleka’s. Kitty-Section is practicing a song they wrote for Marinette. We could really use your opinion.” Mylène offered. 

Alya sighed. “Sorry Mylène, but Nino asked me to clear my schedule. He’s booked us dinner at Lumiere’s.” 

“Well it won’t take long. I think they’re hoping to go tonight or tomorrow to show it to her.” Mylène sounded hopeful, she had grown lonely at the rehearsals. 

“I guess dinner isn’t for another few hours.” Alya smiled. “Just let me tell Nino.” She ran off at the sight of her boyfriend. 

“You can invite him too!” Mylène called out. 

Mylène was so glad the two were back together. She had never seen Alya so depressed as she was without Nino. They completed each other. She just worried that they hadn’t talked about their ‘break’. Sure Marinette was back and everything, but that didn’t mean two weeks of not speaking just went away. Her and Ivan worked through their issues together, and now they were stronger than ever. Alya and Nino were acting as if nothing had happened. They were back out on dates, talking all through class, eating lunch together. She hoped that they would talk about what happened. Their relationship needed to be stronger than the hard times. She really didn’t want to see Alya depressed as she was again. 

———

Master fu waltzed in at the bright time of nine pm. Marinette was almost a sleep when she heard the old man’s signature knock on the door. With a sigh she listened to him walk in and turn the light on. 

“Marinette, I’m sorry if I woke you, but we need to talk.” He demanded. 

“What’s wrong Master?” Marinette tried to seem concerned. Then she realised — this might be her chance to escape the hospital bed! Maybe he was here to ask her to go out on a mission! Marinette suddenly became more attentive. 

“Hawkmoth is on trial. He’ll be sent to prison for life in a few days. But I don’t think that’s reason enough for me to take your Miraculous back.” 

Marinette nearly combusted. 

“Crime in Paris is still at its highest, it needs Ladybug and Chat Noir. Can I trust you to patrol the city and protect it?” Master Fu had a slight grin to his face as he watched her react to his news. 

“You mean it?” She cried. 

Master Fu nodded. “You are one of the best Ladybug’s I’ve ever met. I trust you to keep the Miraculous. And besides, Tikki would miss you too much.” He smiled to the floating Kwami. 

Tikki flew into Marinette’s cheek and the two hugged. How they had missed each other those two weeks. 

“Thank you Master.” Tikki chirped. 

“Yes thank you!” Marinette echoed. 

“Don’t thank me, thank Chat Noir. He asked me to let you guys keep them. I mean I was going to anyway, but he convinced me it was the right thing.” 

Marinette sighed. She shouldn’t have been so harsh with him today. He was only trying to help, and here she was thinking he was over protective. 

“Master, would it be ok if I transformed, just for a bit. I just need to get out of this room.” Marinette asked timidly before Master fu could leave. 

Master fu hung his head and sighed. “I am sorry Marinette, but I am out of healing tea. Tikki could help for a while, but not long. I just don’t want you to undo your progress. It’s best just to wait once you’ve gotten the all clear from the experts.” 

Marinette sighed. “Ok.” She was defeated. But there was a small piece of hope that she intended to hang on to: Tikki could help. Tikki would be able to give her the ability to feel that Paris breeze if only for a bit. 

Master Fu left on that note and the room returned to its darkness. 

Marinette turned to Tikki, a small grin on her face. 

“Oh no, Marinette you heard what Master said. He said no.” Tikki knew exactly what she was thinking and she absolutely despised it. 

“Oh come on Tikki, I feel fine! It will be a quick run and then I’ll come back.” Marinette pleaded. 

“No, uh ah, absolutely not. You almost fainted today because of those reporters. I can’t have you flying over roof tops.” Tikki recalled in a motherly tone. 

“But Tikki-“ Marinette whined. 

“Adrien said no, Master said no, the doctors say no, so I’m saying no to.” Tikki folded her arms. “Now get some rest, if you ever want a chance of going outside, you need to rest.” 

Marinette huffed as she slid under her covers. “I’m fine.” She mumbled before falling dead asleep within seconds. 

Tikki just rolled her eyes. Thank goodness she was there to control the girl. 

———

Nino casually sat back down after ordering their meal. Pulling his chair out, he grinned sneakily at Alya. 

She gazed lovingly into his eyes and felt the whole world around them melt away. 

“You know what I missed.” Nino started, leaning into the table. 

“What?” Alya did the same, a lovesick grin staining her face. 

“You.” He whispered softly. 

Alya’s cheeks turned a rosey pink. “I missed you to.” She lowered her gaze. 

“I think we should start again. This whole Marinette, superhero thing got crazy. We went crazy. So I think we should just move on and start a fresh.” Nino sat back in chair seemingly relaxed. 

But Alya remained hunched. “You really mean that?” She asked, nervous of his response. 

Nino let out a breath quickly, his posture changing. “No.” His voice lowered, changing the mood. “But what else can we do?” 

“Well we could talk?” Alya shrugged, lightening up a bit. 

“Y-Yeah, but... I mean like, what do we talk about. We’ve already said sorry.” 

Alya paused in thought. “Well...maybe... I don’t know!? What else can we do? I mean, our relationship and whatever it was based on shattered. How do you talk about that? And is it still broken? Like are we just pretending because since Marinette’s back that means everything else goes back to normal?”

“Hey, I’m not pretending anything.” Nino spoke up defensively. 

“I know, I just, well...what is our relationship based on?” Alya swallowed as she brought the conversation to a deep level. 

Nino darted his eyes around the room as he tried to answer. “I don’t know, love? What’s its supposed to be based on?”

“I don’t know. But what ever it was on wasn’t strong enough.” Alya lowered her head as she opened up. “I can’t go through something like that again without you.” 

Nino lifted her chin so that he could see her eyes. “Neither can I.” 

“So what do we do?” Alya pleaded on the verge of tears. 

“I suggest we think back and retrace our steps, being completely honest with each other and find the exact point or points where we fell apart.” A logical idea sparked Nino. As much as he didn’t want to, they had to talk about their feelings in order for them not to fall apart again. It was going to be hard, but he knew if they kept at it and were opened and honest, that they would form an unbreakable relationship. 

“Well I’ll start then.” Alya sat up straight as if she were in a professional meeting. “I really valued your advise this morning. I felt like I had the old, positive Nino back and I liked it.” 

Nino furrowed his brows. “What do you mean by ‘old Nino’? Have I changed?” Nino tried to keep his tone easy and light. 

“W-well, I guess we both changed.” Alya felt guilty for bringing it up, but she didn’t regret it. “I’m just saying, in that moment, it felt like the old us.”

Nino hummed in agreement. “I agree. But wasn’t it the old us who wasn’t stable?” He challenged. 

Alya sighed. “We’ve changed. For better or for worse, I don’t know yet. But when everything was unpredictable, you were the only thing I could count on. That’s what I missed.” Alya smiled kindly, glad she was finally able to express herself. 

“And you always supported me. That’s what I missed.” Nino smiled back. 

They had reached a break though and it felt good. Maybe this open conversation thing could work. 

———

Marinette felt a little more at peace the next day. She had realised that she wasn’t going to be able to get out for a while, and was ok with that. Or so she thought. 

By the time the afternoon rolled around, Marinette was able to distract herself enough with a sketch book and tv programs. 

A knock echoed at her door and she sighed. Adrien. Lifting her chin, she felt like maybe she could face him today. But once the door creaked opened, Adrien wasn’t the one to walk through the door. 

“Luka?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> he he he. What’s LUKA doing here? Where’s Adrien for his daily afternoon visit? Did Luka simply beat him to it?


	22. Let Her Go

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette hears a new song. But what does that mean for her old favourites? Even she doesn’t know.   
> Nino didn’t know a garden walk could be anything more than boring.   
> And is that...Ladybug?

“H-hey Marinette, is it alright if we come in?” Luka asked nervously. 

“Sure.” Marinette allowed skeptically as she peered around the corner, trying to find out who ‘we’ was. 

Rose, Juleka, Ivan, and Mylène filled the room, Luka finding a spot on the windowsill to lean. 

“Hey guys.” Marinette smiled as she looked around at the strange combination of friends. 

“Hey um, so we thought since you’re stuck in the hospital and stuff that we’d write you a song.” Juleka, who was closest to the bed, explained. 

Marinette was touched. “Really?! You wrote me a song?” She beamed, looking at everyone in the room. 

“Well they did, I just recorded it.” Mylène smiled as she pulled out her phone. “The file was too big to send or something, so here.” Mylène handed her phone to Marinette and pressed play, a proud smile on her face. 

An upbeat song played with a minor chord being hit every so often that made for and interesting tune. Rose hummed along playfully. Ivan unconsciously tapped his leg. Juleka nodded along to the beat with Mylène. Luka stared intensely at Marinette, watching her as Chat Noir had that night at the window. 

Marinette would watch the video, then look up at her friends with a shocked/excited/loving/grateful smile, then continue watching. Once, she caught Luka’s intense stare. He smile slightly as she turned back to the screen. He had missed her smile so much. 

When the song ended, Marinette cheered. 

Mylène took her phone back with a laugh. 

“That was amazing! How long did it take you to do this?” 

They all shrugged, humble smiles on their faces. 

“We wanted you to know that we want you to get better.” Rose chirped. 

“Yeah, even though it doesn’t have any words.” Ivan added. 

“But it’s the upbeat mood that we thought might lift your spirits.” Luka explained, shifting his weight with a shrug. 

Marinette gave him the kindest smile she could. 

“Thank you all so much. It’s amazing! And it’s my new favourite song.” She giggled. 

Everyone laughed. 

“Well Ivan and I have to go. We have a double date with Alya and Nino at that new garden exhibit thing in the park — Flowers by Night or something?” Mylène waved as she began to leave the room. “Maybe we can come back tomorrow or something.” She suggested. 

Marinette quickly nodded as the two disappeared from view. 

“R-Rose, don’t you need me to help you with that maths assignment?” Juleka tried to asked in a voice that Marinette could hear. 

Rose turned, confused until she saw Juleka’s face and realised what was happening. 

“Oh yeah, I’m terrible at maths!” She giggled. “Sorry Marinette, we’ll come visit properly tomorrow.” Rose waved as she followed Juleka out. 

Luka quickly followed them before Juleka stopped him. 

“Talk to her!” She whispered desperately. 

Luka froze for half a second, and by the time he came back, it was too late; Juleka and Rose has scurried away, leaving him alone with Marinette. 

Marinette suddenly felt bad. Juleka had pulled the same trick as Alya. She was quickly reminded of Adrien and how he said he loved her. He had explained everything to her. She believed he loved her. And she thought she was ready to say it back. Even if her head didn’t fully know yet, the least she could do was say it back. Because she knew she did. Her head just hadn’t caught up with her heart. She knew the only way it could was to escape the hospital bed and go to her thinking spot on the Eiffel Tower. But now, she didn’t know what her heart or head wanted. All the time before the accident she was thinking about Adrien. All the time in hospital she was thinking about Chat Noir. And now here was Luka. 

“H-how are you Marinette? Juleka tells me you might be coming back to school soon.” Luka gave in and turned to Marinette. 

“Well the doctors haven’t said anything yet, but I’m hopeful.” Marinette smiled. 

Luka nodded and popped his lips. “So, how’s hospital life?” He asked, scanning the dull room. “It looks like it’s kinda hard to be creative in here.” 

Marinette agreed quickly. At last, someone understood her pain. “I’ve managed to draw up a few designs, but even those lack any sense of style.”

“Do you know how much longer you stuck in here?” Luka wondered to the window, trying desperately to think of things to talk about.

“They’re not sure yet.” Marinette said plainly, not noticing the repetitiveness. 

Luka hummed in acknowledgment as he stared out the window broodingly. 

“Have you written any new songs?” Marinette tried to start up the conversation again before thoughts of diving out the window took over her body. 

“Not many, well not good ones anyway. It’s kinda hard to write without inspiration.” Luka turned back to face Marinette, a small smile on his face. 

Marinette regretted saying anything. The window looked even more tempting now. 

“R-really? Well Paris is very inspirational, I’m sure you could find a good place to write. I personally like to go to the Champs-Élysées or the Louvre or even-“

“That’s not what I meant.” Luka gently brushed her hand, having walked over to the side of her bed. 

Marinette looked up and straight into his deep blue eyes. “W-what?” 

“Marinette, you’re my inspiration.” Luka whispered, not breaking the stare. 

Marinette didn’t break her gaze either. She let her bottom lip drop, completely shutting off. 

“Marinette, I know Adrien and you—...but I swore to myself I’d tell you as soon as you got back. I like you Marinette. And I know you’d rather be with Adrien, I get it, I just, well...” Luka leant in slowly, giving her time to back away. But she didn’t, so he pressed his lips against hers, softly. And she leant in, gently, her eyes closing. It was an innocent kiss. Pulling away, they both knew that it meant nothing. 

“See you round Marinette.” Luka picked himself up and walked out, his head held high.   
He just had to know what it felt like to kiss her, just once before her and Adrien got together as he knew they would. And it was all he ever dreamt it would be. He knew she was back now, and even if he lost her again, he could find the strength to move on. He knew he was going to have to find that strength soon. Everyone had realised how bad their life was without Marinette. Adrien was going to ask her out as soon as she was ready. He had realised he couldn’t live without her, just as Luka had. But that was the difference between them. Luka knew Adrien would fight for Marinette. And because she loved him, Luka gave in and let Adrien win. He just had to know what it would be like to have her. That’s what he got from the kiss. A life that was complete. A life where he was happy. But he knew she wouldn’t be. That’s why he walked out. He could let her go now. 

———

“Tikki, spots on!”

———

Adrien flopped on his bed, exhausted. 

He had tossed and turned all night like a distressed monkey. He woke up at least three times in a cold sweat, having been shocked out of a deep dream— well, nightmare.   
He was worried about Marinette!   
What if she had transformed and taken off? What if she had transformed and was now struggling to pull herself over rooftops? What if she had transformed and was now lying face down in a ditch? They were very vivid dreams. Yet every time he closed his eyes, his body would fall dead asleep as it was dying of exhaustion. But his mind would stay awake and torchere him. 

Finally, Adrien got to sleep. But just as he entered that relieving resting state, his alarm went off. 

4:30 is an unearthly hour to rise on a Friday morning. A photo shoot capturing the sunrise lighting to accent the new dark, mysterious line of clothing was a hard choice to make, but a good one. Sunrise shoots always came up looking the best but Adrien wondered if it was worth the extra long, tiering day. 

Of course it wasn’t until seven that Adrien wondered why there was a new clothing line being promoted if his father was ‘missing’. But then he thought that his father either was sending his designs to his company from where ever he was, or the company was big enough to get along without him. Natalie obviously didn’t seem phased. Maybe his father wasn’t actually a designer. Maybe he just locked himself in his office all day to ignore his son, on purpose. 

Nevertheless, his negative thoughts towards his father were interrupted by Nino’s joyous face — that, and the thermal mug he was holding. 

“Dude, you really can’t reschedule these things?” Nino handed over the drink to the dying boy. 

Adrien just shook his head as he downed the hot beverage. 

Nino just laughed at his antics as the two walked into class. 

Adrien had gotten used to being preoccupied in class and thus mindlessly taking notes. So getting in trouble wasn’t an option. The hard thing was staying awake enough to appear like he was mindlessly taking notes. 

At last, school was over and as much as he wanted to, he just couldn’t see Marinette without getting a little nap in.

“Don’t wake me up. If the house is on fire, let me die.” Adrien muttered, burying his face in the soft pillows. 

Plagg rolled his eyes and turned the lights off. He didn’t care if Adrien was a sleep, it meant that he could explore the mansion, more specifically, the mansion’s kitchen. He had smelt the most intriguing smell upon coming home a few moments ago and he was curious to find out what it was. 

———

At last, Marinette could breathe. The sun setting created a majestical picture full of pastel pink clouds and orange lighting. Turning her gaze, Marinette noticed the equally beautiful deepening blue sky behind her, filling with the staring night. High above the clouds, above Paris, above everything, Marinette closed her eyes. At last she could breathe. 

Two weeks of lying in bed. One week of boredom and no friends. Six days of being back. Five days of seeing friends, family, loved ones. Days of explaining, comforting, apologising — all things Marinette was forced into with a numb mind. But now she could breathe. Now she could see. 

She could see that she had hurt her team. She remembered back to the time when Chat Noir came to ask her to sacrifice herself, though he didn’t technically. But she remembered how the realisation hit her — she couldn’t ask a hero to let a civilian get in harms way. She couldn’t ask them to sacrifice their friend. Would she have let Alya or Nino or even Chloe walk down that alley way? No! But what else could she have done? If she didn’t take the chance right then and there, more people would’ve died — not just hurt like her. Marinette knew her friends were strong. She believed in her team to protect her. Though now she realised, they would’ve been protecting themselves. Protecting themselves from guilt. She didn’t want to know how bad they all felt, but she caught a glimpse of it in their eyes every time she saw them. She saw their pain. And it broke her more than any murderer could. ...But she had to! 

Marinette took a breath. What happened happened. She couldn’t change the past. Today was today and tomorrow will soon be today. She couldn’t change that either. The bottom line was, she had hurt her friends, but she didn’t regret doing what she did. It was Ladybug who sacrificed herself for the city, because that was her job. Whether her friends knew that or not, it was a fact. No one could get around that. But her friends were still hurt. They were safe, but they suffered more than she did. Now it was up to her to fix it, as Ladybug, it was her duty. 

At last, she could think. She had thought about something and made a decision. A sigh of relief escaped her and she watched her breath disperse among the clouds. She felt at peace. 

That was until she spotted a pair of black ears in the distance. 

———

Alya and Nino had spent the day gazing into each other’s eyes after their successful night of talking. Of course they were a little worried about Adrien, but they couldn’t help the fact that they were more in love than ever. The whole word was but a mere blur when they were in each other’s company. It wasn’t their fault they forgot to check if he was ok or include him in some conversation. 

They were working through their problems and it felt great to finally accomplish something meaningful. 

Nino had arrived early to Alya’s house to pick her up for their double date with Mylène and Ivan that night. 

Alya had yet to get dressed and was frantically doing her makeup when she heard the door bell ring. 

“C-coming!” She cried through the empty house (her parents were working late and her big sister was out with the twins watching a movie). 

Nino smiled at the sound of panic in her voice. He liked to surprise her. 

“You’re twenty minutes early?” Alya greeted him, slightly panicked. 

“Nice to see you to babe!” Nino remarked, throwing his arms around her. 

“Y-Yeah, you to.” Alya pulled away rushing back to the bathroom. “Are you hungry, there’s a packet of crisps open on the bench.” 

Nino strutted around the house. “Nah, I ate before I came.” He yelled back. 

Alya couldn’t care less, she was too focused on trying to wing her eyeliner evenly. 

“So I was thinking, after this moonlit stroll through the gardens, you and I could get some supper at the Eiffel Tower?” Nino leant on the bathroom doorway. 

“Oh at that small cafe that sells that really nice hot chocolate?” Alya turned, one eye done. 

“That’s the one. My treat. I want to make up for those two weeks I didn’t get to spend with you.” He smiled into the mirror, walking over and placing a kiss on her head. 

Alya smiled back at him through the mirror. “You know I can pay, and now that we’re back together, we have the rest of our lives to spend with each other.” She teased him by ducking under his hold. 

Nino furrowed his eyebrows playfully. “Don’t make me mess up your makeup.” He threatened. 

“Oh you wouldn’t dare.” Alya held out a brush defensively. 

“Try me.” Nino leapt at the armed girl and tickled her. 

Alya’s face smudged off all over Nino’s dark blue shirt. 

“N-no s-stop!” She cried out in pain. 

The two stepped back, laughing, until they saw themselves in the mirror. 

“Whoops.” Nino carefully turned to Alya who was examining her face close to the mirror. 

“You come here early, just to destroy my perfect smoky eye?” She spat at him. 

“N-not intentionally.” Nino held up his hands defensively. “You wouldn’t happen to have one of my shirts lying around would you?” 

Alya rolled her eyes. “Mylène and Ivan are going to think we’re crazy.” She buried her face in her hands. 

“So what? You look great with and without makeup. Just go for a natural look. And I was too dressed up anyway.” Nino went over and hugged her from behind. 

Alya sighed, a smile staining her face that Nino couldn’t see. 

“Ok. Let’s hurry though, or we’ll be late.”

———

“A-Adrien.”   
“Adrien.”  
“...ADRIEN!”

“Somebody better be dead!” 

Plagg quickly retreated. 

Adrien scanned the room suspiciously. “What is it Plagg?” He muttered through gritted teeth, over pronouncing his constants. 

Plagg cowardly showed his face from behind the foosball table. 

“I-I just t-thought you might want t-to know t-that...t-that I think I saw L-Ladybug.” Plagg stuttered nervously. He had never been afraid of Adrien, let alone about-to-pee-his-pants afraid. 

Adrien grunted and threw himself back down, covering his head with a pillow. 

He didn’t want to deal with an akuma right now. 

But then it hit him. Panic surged through his body. No boy had ever flown out of bed as fast as he did. 

“Plagg, claws out!” 

———

“Woah.” Nino exclaimed as the group entered the gardens. He honestly didn’t think a walk through dimly-lit bushes and flowers would be that interesting. But here he was, in awe of the brightly coloured lights scattering the path ahead. 

Rose bushes weren’t just rose bushes, but bright red illuminated attractions. Trees were lined with fairy lights up their trunks and into their branches. Green lights were portrayed as leaves. Pulsing lights made moving patterns along dark bushes. Flowers even had twinkling lights that made them all the more beautiful. 

“What? Did you think we were just going to walk through the city gardens in the middle of the night? We wouldn’t be able to see anything.” Alya laughed at Nino’s reaction. 

“Y-Yeah but, well I wasn’t expecting this!” 

“It is really pretty.” Mylène admired, turning around as the four walked in. 

“I think it’s up for the whole week. We should all come here as a class.” Ivan suggested. 

“Yes! Marinette would love...this.” Alya’s mood suddenly dropped. So did everyone else’s. 

“You know what, I think she really would love this. And I reckon she’ll be out by next week and able to enjoy it with us.” Mylène tried to be positive. “We saw her today and she seemed ok.” 

“I hope you’re right Mylène. My only worry is if they let her out and she’s not ok.” Nino sighed. 

“That’s probably why the doctors haven’t even let her go home and stay in bed there.” Ivan commented. 

“Let’s just enjoy it for her. And then we can go tell her tomorrow.” Alya declared. 

Everyone nodded and continued walking through the magical forest, trying to soak up every ounce of wonder to describe it to Marinette. 

Coming to the end of the walk. The four friends waved each other off as it was pretty late. 

Nino saw that Alya was getting tired and so he suggested they quickly get their hot chocolates to go and start walking home. 

She agreed, resting her head on his shoulder as they walked towards the Eiffel Tower in the moon light. 

But before they could make it to the cafe, Alya looked up and froze stiff. 

“I-it’s Ladybug!”


	23. Eiffel Tower rendezvous

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Has Alya really seen Ladybug? Nino was really looking forward to those hot chocolates.  
> Chat Noir doesn’t seem to have the ‘stalking his prey’ technique down.  
> What’s wrong with Ladybug’s shoulder?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late post, here’s some chapters to make up for it :)

Ladybug could sense the black cat stalking her from behind. She had seen him disappear at the base of the tower and could now feel him breathing down her neck. She had been caught. 

She didn’t want to admit defeat, so she stayed completely still, ignoring him. This was a lot hard than she first thought. But she wasn’t going to admit that her shoulder was beginning to hurt. She wasn’t going to admit that he was right. Not a chance.  
So she remained still. That way Tikki’s power could hold her up longer. And Chat would maybe see that she was fine and leave her alone. 

Ten minutes past. Chat Noir hadn’t moved from his ‘secret’ position behind Ladybug. And Ladybug hadn’t moved from her seat on the support beam. 

Then Chat Noir felt the urge to move. He had lost feeling in his left foot and was growing increasingly uncomfortable. Maybe he should just sit next to her? No. He trusted she knew what she was doing. He wasn’t going to interrupt her, just watch that she was ok. But as soon as stepped forward to try and stop the pins and needles, he slipped. 

Ladybug heard a small cry and turned just in time to catch the cat in her yo-yo. 

Both let out a breath of relief. 

“Next time you spy on me Chat, maybe bring a harness.” Ladybug remarked as she pulled him up, trying hard not to move her sore shoulder. 

“What can I say, I’m falling for you all over again m’lady.” Chat winked as he pulled himself next to her. 

Ladybug just rolled her eyes. At least he was safe. 

“Sorry I couldn’t come this afternoon. I really needed a cat nap.” Chat started up a conversation. 

“It’s ok. Kitty Section came and showed me a song they wrote for me.” Ladybug smiled, eyes firmly on the street below and secretly taking deep breaths to recover from straining her shoulder. 

“They wrote you a song! That’s so cool. I wish someone would write a song form me.” 

Ladybug giggled at his antics. But stopped quickly. 

“So did you like the song?” Chat didn’t notice her odd behaviour. 

“It’s my new favourite.” Ladybug glanced over to see Chat staring deeply into her eyes. 

“That’s great.” He smiled, not breaking their eye contact. 

Ladybug was instantly reminded of Luka. Should she tell Adrien that they kissed? It meant nothing to her, but would he want to know? It was just a simple kiss, Luka had even said that her and Adrien were basically a couple, so he didn’t think it meant anything. .....So then why was she thinking about it?

Chat Noir noticed her distressed. “What’s wrong princess?” He asked kindly, placing his hand on her thigh. 

“N-nothing.” Ladybug turned away. She shouldn’t tell him. It meant nothing, right? She didn’t know anymore. This was why she needed to get out of her hospital room; to think about her relationship with Adrien. And here he was, gazing lovingly into her eyes. Marinette knew she shouldn’t have kissed Luka... She should’ve kissed Adrien. 

Ladybug turned back to Chat who was waiting patiently for her to answer truthfully. She took a deep breath to steady her nerves. Leaning forward, she reached over and turned Chat’s check towards her. Closing her eyes she brought them together. 

He didn’t dare back away. He had been waiting for this moment his whole life. 

It was a gentle kiss to start off with; Ladybug not wanting to scare him off. But as soon as their lips touched, Chat knew he couldn’t settle for such an innocent kiss. So he leaned in as soon as he thought she was comfortable. Ladybug now knew that Luka’s kiss meant nothing. Because this kiss meant everything. 

“Chat I-“ Ladybug pulled away for air. 

“Shh,” he pressed her lips. “You don’t need to explain. Every one wants a piece of the great Chat Noir.” He smirked, flexing his muscles. 

Ladybug let out a breath, feed up with his nonsense, but secretly loving him for it. 

Chat smirked knowing this was the case when she turned away, blushing. 

“Maybe I was wrong to tell you to stay in bed. If this is what Ladybug is going to give me, well, who am I to stand in your way?” Chat remarked just as Ladybug recovered from his last comment. 

“Seriously Chat?” Ladybug blushed furiously and buried her face in her hands. 

Chat giggled. “I can’t help it purrr-incess, great wit is just something a cat can’t control.” 

Ladybug rolled her eyes. “You wish you had an ounce of wit. All you have is bad cat puns.” She went to fold her arms, but was stopped by an agonising pain in her shoulder. Ladybug quickly put her arms down. Tikki was getting weaker. 

Chat Noir didn’t notice. He just sighed shaking his head. How he’d missed her. 

“So what’s the princess doing out of her tower anyway? Surely it’s not just to steal a kiss.” Chat slipped the question into the conversation casually. He didn’t want her to think he was worried. 

“The princess was just getting a breath of fresh air. Nothing for a cat to worry himself about.” Ladybug sat up straight, ignoring his later comment.

“And yet, here I am.” Chat smiled. 

“Well don’t get too comfortable, I was just about to leave.” Ladybug tried to push herself up but began to struggle, so she quickly stopped and instead threw out her yo-yo. 

“No wait!” Chat quickly grabbed her hand. “I think we should talk. Somewhere where you can think or whatever.” 

Ladybug sighed. “I can think back at the hospital, I’m just feeling a bit tired.” 

Chat lowered his head. “I know, but you don’t want to talk there. Personally I don’t want to talk there. So what about coming back to my house? You can de-transform that way.” He was hopeful. 

“Chat I-“

“If you don’t feel up to it that’s fine. Let me take you back to the hospital.” Chat retreated. 

“Sorry. I promise, we’ll talk tomor-“  
Ladybug was interrupted by a buzzing on her yo-yo. 

She looked at it confused for a second before realising what it meant.  
Sliding the top half of the yo-yo up, Ladybug answered her superhero phone. 

———

“No, it can’t be. No one’s seen Ladybug in weeks!” Nino remarked in disbelief, squinting at the figure above them. 

“But it is! It’s her! I know it’s her.” Alya cried, all traits of tiredness falling away. 

“Ahhh, eh I guess, b-but-“

“No buts. It’s her Nino. It has to be her.” Alya pulled on his jacket. 

Nino lowered his gaze back to his girlfriend. “You want to talk to her?” He asked kindly, giving in. 

Alya nodded softly. 

“Then ah, well should we wait here or-“

“I have an idea!” Alya suddenly pulled Nino behind some bushes. 

“Woah babe calm down.” Nino laughed with a giddy smile. 

“Trixx, let’s pounce!” Alya cried. 

“Oh, that.” Nino was discouraged.  
“So what’s Rena gonna do?”

“She’s going to call Ladybug. Then, if she answers, I’ll ask her if we can talk.” Alya explained quickly as she worked her superhero phone. 

“Alright. But what do you want to talk to her about? What do you want to say?” Nino pondered out loud. 

Alya stopped dialling. “I don’t know. I worked things out with Marinette, well, most things. I guess I want to ask her if I can tell Marinette I’m Rena Rouge. And then I’ll maybe give my Miraculous back, for good like you.”

“But you love being a superhero! Don’t quit just because I did.” Nino cried. 

“I’m not quitting because of you, well, I don’t know. I just- I can’t go out there without you, and I don’t want to.” Alya sighed. 

“Babe you don’t need me. You’re an awesome hero, and Paris needs you. So you messed up once, we all did. Everyone makes mistakes, the import thing is that we learn from them.” Nino encouraged. But his joyous mood was turned by her raised eyebrow. “What?” 

“Oh nothing. It’s just I know someone who could use his own advice.” She smirked. 

Nino rolled his eyes. “Fine. But technically mine was taken without my consent.” 

“And you celebrated!” 

“Yeah, ok, well maybe I could be a hero again.” 

“Oh, really? Well I’ll just ask Ladybug to come down here and give it back-“

“No please! Please Alya, I c-can’t have it. J-just not now.” Nino quickly turned. 

Alya smiled knowingly. “Hawkmoth’s gone. Ladybug probably doesn’t need our help anyway.” She hugged him. 

Nino let his eyes shut as he embraced her. “We still need to talk to her.” 

“I know.” She pulled back. “I guess we just need a briefing, get everything out in the open. Chloe should probably come to.” 

“Good idea. But it’s getting late and I’m thinking this could be a long conversation. Maybe call Ladybug now and ask if she can organise a meet up?” Nino suggested. 

“Good idea.” 

———

“Hello?” Ladybug couldn’t see the caller id in the dark and wondered who this mysterious caller was. Chat leaned into the phone with curiosity. 

“H-hey,” the shaky voice greeted on the other side of the phone. “I-it’s ah, it’s Rena Rouge.” She sounded relived. 

“Rena! Hey.” Ladybug chirped back. She didn’t know what to do. Why was Alya calling her? How did she know she was callable? 

“Hey Ladybug, um, wow it’s just so good to hear your voice. You sound a lot better.” 

Ladybug froze and turned to Chat for a response. Chat looked just as panicked. 

“J-just tell her y-you’ve been recovering slowly or something. She thinks you had some random disease.” Chat whispered hesitantly in Ladybug’s ear. 

Ladybug gave him a confused look as she spoke. “Y-Yeah, it’s been a long recovery unfortunately. I’m not quite fully recovered yet.” She shrugged uncertainly to Chat. He shrugged uselessly back. 

“Oh w-well, Carapace and I were wondering if we could all meet up soon. A-and talk you know. But if you’re not well we can-“ 

“No no, it’s fine. I’m sure Chat would love a meet up as well.” Ladybug smirked over to the cat. 

“Oh that’s great! Well when can we meet? I mean we have school still and Chloe might like to come.”

“Y-Yeah um...” Ladybug adjusted her seating position as her shoulder grew increasingly uncomfortable. “How about, uh, tomorrow night or something?” She turned to see if that was ok with Chat. Chat nodded. 

“Cool, that works for us. And we could probably meet at Chloe’s again.” 

“Again?” Ladybug looked confused. Chat went to explain but was interrupted by Rena. 

“Yeah, we had a team meeting at Chloe’s since we knew she wouldn’t come see us.” 

Chat smirked at the thought of the team walking back in to Chloe’s room unannounced. 

“S-sure.” Ladybug was still somewhat concerned with the idea. But she was in too much pain to argue. 

“Ok. Thanks. Bye!” Rena hung up quickly as if she was holding her breath the whole time. 

Ladybug looked over at Chat. Chat gave her the same confused expression. 

“Don’t look at me, I don’t know how or why she called. But I agree we probably should discuss everything.” 

“I suppose so.” Ladybug sighed. “I just, well I don’t know if I can escape like this again.” 

“What do you mean? You’ve made it a long time up here. Tikki’s helping you isn’t she?” Chat was becoming concerned. 

Ladybug didn’t want to lie to him. She also didn’t want to confess her pain. 

“You’re ok, aren’t you?” Chat persisted as Ladybug remained quiet. 

Ladybug cringed and bit her lip as she turned to face him.

Chat’s face dropped into disappointment. “You’re not ok?” 

Ladybug sighed. “I- I am, kind of I, well I don’t know.” She looked away. “I don’t think I can make it back.” She whispered.

‘Marinette I told you you shouldn’t have left the hospital! How many times did I warn you about this?’ Chat felt like saying. But he held his tongue. 

“Ok.” Chat said plainly. 

Ladybug glanced over to him, ashamed of what she’d done. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner or leave when I thought Tikki’s magic was wearing off, I just-“

“It’s ok. Let’s get you back in bed.” His monotone voice tortured her as she could tell how disappointed he was. 

He swiftly scooped her up and carried them back to the hospital, Ladybug biting her tongue through the pain. 

“I don’t like to see you hurting m’lady. It means I’m not doing my job.” Chat placed the fragile girl down softly. 

Ladybug managed a smile. “I’m sorry kitty, I just needed to leave this room. I know I shouldn’t have and I didn’t mean to disrespect you, I just-“

“I know. Just please, next time if you’re so desperate to go out, let me come with you. And be honest with me if you feel like you’ve had enough.” Chat smiled back as he pulled the covers over her. 

“Tikki spots off.” Ladybug whispered, her eyes closing. 

Immense pain washed over Marinette as a deflated Tikki flew out and collapsed on the table beside the bed. 

“Tikki! I’m so sorry!” Marinette cried through gritted teeth. 

Adrien rushed over to the kwami. “Tikki? Tikki are you ok?” 

Plagg realised what was going on and he zoomed over to the table. 

“Come on sugar cube.” Plagg whispered as he knelt down by her side. 

“Come on.” He whispered desperately as Adrien watched on not knowing what to do. 

Tikki remained still. 

A tear rolled from Plagg’s small cheek and landed on the bug’s forehead. 

Tikki opened her eyes lazily. Plagg breathed a sigh of relief and threw and his arms around her. 

“What just happened?” Adrien whispered to himself in disbelief. This was some crazy magic kwami stuff. 

Then he remembered Marinette.  
“Marinette!” He rushed over to her side. 

“A-Adrien I’m f-fine. You should g-go...b-before a nurse s-s-sees you.” Marinette’s hands were shaking. 

“No, no no no, you’re hurting. What happened out there. How can I help.” Adrien remained chivalrously at her side. 

“Adrien-“

“No Marinette, I’m won’t leave you. Now tell me what’s wrong, do I need to get the doctor?” He urged her as the girl turned a ghostly white. He didn’t like the look of this. A scary image from his memory shot into his vision and he stumbled back. Adrenaline filled his body. 

“Marinette, where’s the button to call a nurse?” Adrien demanded. 

Marinette, too weak to argue, tried to hold up a remote by the side of her bed. Adrien quickly took it off her hands. 

Tikki was finally strong enough to fly and landed by Marinette’s side. 

“What’s wrong Marinette?” She asked quietly. 

“My- my shoulder... I think the stitches-“ Marinette couldn’t finish the sentence. 

Adrien heard her and his eyes unconsciously turned down to her shoulder. 

Red had begun seeping through her pillow. 

Fiercely he pounded the alert button before diving out the window at the click of a door handle. 

———

Adrien paced back and forth on the hospital roof. 

How could he have let her escape?! He was supposed to visit her, but instead he took a nap. Unbelievable! He really needed to get his priorities in check. If he was going to look after Marinette, then he would have to say good bye to sleep. His duty was to protect Ladybug, and protect her he would. Even if that meant no more sleep. 

But as Adrien kept wondering around the roof, he realised how crazy he sounded. 

With a sigh, he sat down and dangled his legs over the side of the building. 

He knew Marinette was bound to explode in that hospital bed. He knew she had to get out someday. And he did try as hard as he could to delay that ‘day’. Looking back, Adrien really couldn’t have done it any better. Well, maybe he should’ve expected her to get hurt. The kiss threw him off a bit. But even so, he had done all he could. 

He even understood why she left, and supported her decision. He would’ve done the same thing even if Ladybug told him not to. 

No, he had done everything in his power to protect her. She was the one who should’ve told him that she needed to get back in bed. She should’ve told him that she was hurt. 

Marinette would just have to learn to humble herself and admit when she was hurt or sad or wrong. He couldn’t control her, though that would make his job a lot easier. 

Adrien rose once again to pace (he found that he thought better that way). 

With all that in mind, Adrien wondered where they stood. Was she mad at him? Was he mad at her? Well yeah, he was furious. She made him fail at his job, once again. Then why did he still feel as though it was his fault? He told himself that it was Marinette that should’ve spoken up. But he still felt like he was partly to blame. 

Then he realised why he was feeling that. It was because he loved her. From the day he fell in love with Ladybug and Marinette, Adrien realised he took on the responsibility of both of them. He just felt so connected to her that naturally he felt guilty if either of them did something wrong. 

He really needed to learn how to control that. He couldn’t feel guilty for everything little thing either of them did; he would combust! 

Taking in a deep breath, he let go of his guilt. Marinette was in good hands and everything was going to be ok. 

On that note, Adrien decided to see if she actually was ok. It had been an hour or so and he didn’t want to return home without at least checking on her. 

———

Chat Noir peaked his head up through the window... but Marinette was nowhere to be seen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> bit of a Tangled moment there between Plagg and Tikki for you Disney fans.


	24. Pool Party

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alix throws a pool party because...why not? But a heated debate quickly arises as the early-comers wait for the rest of the class to show. Adrien, however, is unaware to the mid-morning party until after his visit with Marinette. And with Marinette sound asleep, he thinks...why not?

The dawn of the weekend brought everyone a sigh of relief. They had made it through another school week, and what a week it was. Things had snapped back into their bubbly self upon Marinette’s return. Most of the students didn’t know what to do with themselves as they had spent the past two weekends at home, in bed, asleep. But today was different. Today had many opportunities for a fun filled day of friends and laughs and happiness. And the class was ready to seize those opportunities. 

Alix decided the best way to spend her weekend was by throwing the class a pool party. Because, why not? Of course she knew Marinette couldn’t come, but that didn’t mean the rest of them couldn’t have fun. They had spent two weeks locked up inside, miserable. But today was sunny, and hot, and perfect for a pool party.   
The idea had hit her square in the face that morning as she ate breakfast and stared at her empty pool. Impulsively, she texted everyone to come over for an afternoon pool party. Then feeling sorry for Marinette, she sent out a following text that said they should all go visit Marinette after for dinner or something. 

Alix couldn’t contain herself when Mylène arrived early with Ivan to help her set up. 

“This was a really good idea Alix. I’ve missed your spontaneous class parties.” Mylène said as she packed cold cans into a bucket full of ice. 

“I have too. My parties are great!” Alix remarked, taking a tray of food outside. 

“It’s a shame Marinette can’t come. Maybe we can throw another party when she gets out of hospital.” Ivan suggested as he helped Mylène. 

“That’s a great idea! I hope it won’t be long. I couldn’t really tell yesterday if she was feeling any better, we left so quickly.” 

“Only because Juleka asked us to. We could’ve made it to the garden easily if we stayed a little longer.”

“Yeah I know, but Juleka- well... ok, you have to swear you won’t tell anyone.” Mylène death stared Ivan until he nodded curiously. 

“Ok.” Mylène leaned in and lowered her voice. “Juleka told me that she thinks Luka wanted to ask Marinette out, like boy friend girl friend kinda thing. I told her that Marinette had been pretty set on Adrien for a long time now, but she told me that he really needed to talk to her anyway.” 

Ivan gasped. “Marinette and Luka? But her and Adrien are so cute together!”

“I know. But it’s been like forever, and he still hasn’t seemed to notice her feelings. So I told her that maybe Luka had a pretty good chance of asking her out. I mean, Adrien didn’t even visit her when she got back. Alya and Nino had to convince him to go with them.” 

“No. You told her that Luka had a chance?” Ivan exclaimed getting way too into it. 

“Yeah, cause he does!” Mylène argued. “I don’t know, Marinette and Luka could be really cute together.” She shrugged. 

“Marinette and Luka?!” Alix screamed from across the room, having overheard. “No way. He’s so moody, and Marinette’s so excitable.”

“Yeah, I agree. Marinette’s too happy for Luka.” Ivan backed Alix up. 

“Well she’s not getting any where with Adrien, at least Luka took the time to visit her and ask her out.” Mylène defended herself. 

“Luka asked Marinette out?!” Alix screamed in a similar tone to before. 

Mylène quickly covered her mouth. “Alix you can’t tell a soul!” She cried running over to the girl. “I swear Alix, Juleka can’t know I told you!” She began to shake her. 

“Luka asked Marinette out?!” Alix cried again, indifferent to Mylène’s pleas. 

“Alix did you hear me? You can’t tell anyone Luka asked Marinette out!” Mylène demanded. 

“Luka asked Marinette out?!” Alya cried having walked through the open door with Nino close behind. 

“Oh no.” Mylène’s arms dropped off Alix. “No no no no, you heard nothing, Alya, you heard nothing!” 

“Oh no, I heard something. Something actually impossible.” Alya held up her finger. 

“Alya please, Juleka told me not to tell anyone.” Mylène was practically on her knees begging. 

“Oh I won’t tell anyone, because it’s not true.” Alya crossed her arms. 

“Ah, babe, it sounded pretty true. I mean did you heard Alix scream?” Nino patted her on the shoulder. 

“Nah, I’m with Alya. I don’t think he did, and even if he did, Marinette’s heart belongs to Adrien and Adrien alone.” Alix declared. 

“So...did Luka actually ask Marinette out?” Nino was becoming intrigued. 

Mylène sighed. “Juleka said that he needed to be alone with Marinette because she could tell he needed to talk to her and probably ask her out.” She admitted defeat. 

“Probably ask her out, there. He didn’t actually.” Alya pointed out. 

“Yeah, he probably chickened out.” Alix added. 

“I don’t know, Luka did seem pretty messed up after Marinette got hurt. It seems like he really cares about her.” Nino shrugged and sat down at a nearby table. 

“You can’t be serious! I know Marinette and she would only date Adrien.” Alya sat across from him. 

“Well I think her and Luka might be pretty cute. They’re both so creative and with Adrien not returning her feelings, I reckon she could go out with him.” Mylène took Nino’s side and sat next to him. 

“But Marinette’s really loyal, would she really just give up a three year crush because someone else made a move?” Ivan stood at the head of the table. 

“Exactly!” Alix cried sitting down next to Alya. “Marinette just physically can’t be with anyone but Adrien. The universe would collapse if she did.” 

“Well our universe basically did when Marinette went to hospital. Things have changed.” Nino reminded them insightfully. 

There was a pause in debate as everyone took in the reality. That was until Alya shot up. 

“I can’t believe you’re taking Luka’s side when Adrien literally confessed that he loved Marinette!” 

Everyone was silent. Alya had just dropped a bomb shell.

“Hang on, Adrien likes Marinette back?” Mylène was the first to speak. 

Alya sat down, a little red. 

“Yeah.” Nino turned to her with a sigh. “He really does like her. I think he likes her more than she likes him.” 

“That’s not possible!” Alix threw her fist on the table. 

“Yeah but still, why would you guys think her and Luka be better?” Alya questioned the two opposite her. 

“I just think that if Luka did ask Marinette out right now, that she’d probably say yes. Unless.. unless Adrien has already asked her out?” Mylène threw a question back that she knew the answer to. 

“No, I don’t think he has.” Alya lowered her head, defeated. 

“Why are we even arguing over this? This is Marinette’s life and she can be with whoever she wants, and we should be happy for her.” Nino reminded them. 

“Nino’s right, as long as Marinette’s happy, I’m happy. But so help me if Luka hurts her, he’s going to have to deal with me.” Alix declared, standing up. 

“What’s to say Adrien won’t hurt her?” Mylène felt offended for some reason. 

“I know Adrien won’t hurt her.” Nino told Mylène. “I just hope he can compete with Luka.” 

“He’s a model!” Alya cried as if it were clear as day. 

“So? If Luka’s brave enough to ask Marinette out, she’s not going to wait for Adrien. She doesn’t know he loves her, and so if Luka professes his love, well I think she’s gonna want someone to support her through these next few weeks.” Nino returned. 

Alya was silent, her face cringed in disgust. “Marinette doesn’t need someone, she has us! We’re her friends. We’ll get her through these next few weeks. She doesn’t need Luka or Adrien.” 

“Alya that’s not what I meant.” Nino pleaded as the orange-haired girl stormed away. 

“Well. I’m sorry guys for bringing this up.” Mylène apologised as Nino chased after his girlfriend. 

“Nah they’re alright. Nothing that a pool party won’t fix, right Ivan?” Alix patted the big boy on the back. 

Ivan faked a smile to try and support Alix, but he knew they probably shouldn’t have started the conversation, especially when none of the three parties being debated were there. 

“Anyway. Speaking of partying, let’s get in the pool.” Alix went to charge out the door and crash into the pool, but Mylène stopped her. 

“Shouldn’t we wait for Rose and Max and everyone?” 

Alix rolled her eyes. “Max and Nathanael said they were busy catching up on assignments. Adrien’s dad has never let him come to my parties. And Kim, Rose and Juleka are usually late.” 

“Ok ok, I’ll go ask Alya and Nino if they want to swim now to then.” Mylène smiled as she watched Alix bomb dive with a scream. 

———

Adrien was the first person to arrive for visiting hours. He knew Marinette’s parents liked to come in around the time of their lunch break so he had plenty of time to talk to Marinette.   
After seeing that Marinette had disappeared, Chat Noir returned home. He thought he should let her rest; it probably would’ve been early morning by the time she got to sleep. And he, despite his cat nap, was feeling drowsy. So early morning visit it was. He just hoped Marinette wasn’t in too much trouble for escaping last night. 

“Marinette are you awake?” Adrien knocked on the door to her room. 

A grunt let him in. 

Adrien cautiously approached the girl. Her eyes were closed and her body dead still. He wondered if he had imagined her grunting. 

“Marinette?” He whispered. 

Marinette’s eye lids rose slightly and she grunted again. 

At that moment, Tikki flew out from hiding. Plagg promptly did the same. 

“Her pain medication has been brought down a few notches.” Tikki explained, a slight smile staining her face. 

“Try 20 notches.” Marinette groaned. 

“The doctors thought that because she was able to move so much so that the cut on her shoulder opened, that her pain medication was too high. So they lowered it.” Tikki snickered. 

This made Adrien smile. It hurt him to see Marinette in such pain, but it was kinda funny that her little adventure caused it. 

“So what’d they do last night? Stitch it back up again or something?” Adrien asked, pulling up the chair to her bedside. 

“Yeah. I don’t remember it though.” Marinette’s eyebrows furrowed as she tried to recall the event. 

“That’s because you were unconscious.” Tikki reminded. 

“So what are you on now, Panadol, aspirin?” Adrien laughed. 

Marinette glared at him as best she could. 

Adrien held his hands up defensively. “Hey come on, you did ignore everyone’s warnings and went flying through Paris.” 

“Yeah, cause I felt fine.” Marinette retorted. 

“That’s why you have to trust that the doctors know what they’re doing when they tell you you can’t go home.” Tikki chirped. 

“Well I’m just glad you’re ok. And that you’ve got that out of your system. You’re not going out again are you?” Adrien more or less ordered than asked. 

Marinette glared at him again. “You think I can move enough to transform?” 

Adrien smiled. “Good.” 

Marinette rolled her eyes. He was enjoying this too much. 

“So does it hurt really bad?” 

“What do you think?” Marinette snapped back. “I have seven stitches on the back of my shoulder, my ribs are still broken and I can feel the metal plate holding them together every time I breathe. You try suppressing that with Panadol.” 

“Woah, someone’s in a bad mood.” Adrien lent in and moved a strand of hair that had fallen on her forehead. 

“Sorry, I just, well I’ve been up all night.“ Marinette sighed. 

“Hey no, I get it. You can be as cranky as you want. Just remember, we all told you not to do it. And even though I’m kinda glad you did, I think you really need to learn to trust everyone when they tell you not to do something. You could’ve got hurt, more than you did.” 

Marinette closed her eyes. “I just really needed to get out. I couldn’t think in this room. I had been cooped up for two weeks and then you came and said you were Chat and that you loved me and then Luka kissed me and it was all too much. I’m sorry I turned into Ladybug and risked my life. I just had to escape. I had to think.” She blabbered. 

“Wait, Luka kissed you?” Adrien leant forward skeptically. 

Marinette’s eyes shot open. 

“Luka kissed you?” Adrien sat up, not sure how to feel. 

“Y-Yeah.” Marinette confirmed hesitantly. 

“When? Why? How?” Adrien was baffled. 

“Yesterday. He, well he came in with the band, and, and he told me that he liked me but, but he knew I liked you and, well then he kissed me. And left.” Marinette recalled. 

Adrien’s jaw dropped. Then his brows furrowed. “He- he just kissed you! Without your permission? You were sick in bed and he kissed you?!” Adrien cried out in disbelief. 

Marinette cringed as she felt a head ache coming on. 

“I can’t believe he would take advantage of you like that, I’m going to go give that boy a piece-“

“Adrien no! Please, just leave it alone. I didn’t mean to worry you. I just, well I couldn’t control what I was saying. Luka didn’t do anything. Please don’t hurt him.” Marinette pleaded, squeezing Adrien’s hand as hard as she could. “I’m sorry Adrien. But I could tell how much he missed me, I saw the same pain in your eyes when you visited me. He knows he can’t have me, but I didn’t want to break his heart. I like you Adrien, I promise. It’s you I like, but you have to understand, Luka’s still my friend, and I didn’t want to hurt him.”

Adrien felt her gentle squeeze and tried to let his anger go. It took him a while to calm down, but he was able to face her. “I like you too Marinette.” He smiled. “So I’m not going to confront Luka, only because you asked so nicely. But don’t expect me to smile when I see him at school.” He huffed. 

Marinette smiled. “Thank you.” She whispered feeling a little drowsy. 

“The only afternoon I don’t visit. Typical.” Adrien mumbled, sliding down into the seat in a more comfortable position. 

Then a knock at the door woke them both up. 

“How are we going in here?” A nurse walked in and began to check the machines by Marinette’s bed. 

Adrien looked at Marinette anxiously, was something wrong? 

She just shook her head with a slight smile, trying hard not to roll her eyes at his over protectiveness. 

He let out a sigh of relief. 

“Oh good news, I’ve spoken to Doctor Ronalds and he said you’ll probably be able to return home in about a week and a bit. But you’ll be on bed rest. So you probably won’t be able to get back to school until next term.” The nurse looked up from her clipboard with a smile. 

Marinette smiled back. “Thanks.” 

“And I’ll see what I can do about you medication. I just can’t imagine how you managed to split your stitches like that. You must’ve been cartwheeling around the room.” The nurse laughed. 

Adrien laughed to. “Yeah she’s really into gymnastics.” He added sarcastically. 

The nurse laughed harder. 

Marinette just lay there in pain. 

“Anyway, you seem alright for now. I’ll see you a bit later.” The nurse waved as she left the room. 

“She was nice.” Adrien commented. 

“Yeah.” Marinette sighed, lowering her eye lids. 

“I guess you’re pretty tired.” Adrien noticed. 

Marinette grunted a ‘yes’. 

“I suppose you want me to go then.” Adrien rose out of the chair. 

Marinette’s eyes shot open. “No, Adrien. Please, you can stay.” 

Adrien saw her innocent face begging him to stay. How could he leave her? 

He smiled and sat back down. “Would m’lady like me to tell her a story?” 

Marinette’s face lit up. Chat Noir knew she loved his made up stories. He would often tell her one on a long patrol night. She would often fall asleep and miss the ending. 

“Yes please.” She sighed. How could she have doubted her love for Adrien? 

———

After about three minutes of knocking, Rose pushed open the door. Juleka peeked in from behind her to see Ivan and Alix running around the pool, each with a squirt gun in hand. They laughed and entered the house. It was nice to see their class happy again. 

Just as they were about to put their bags down, a mighty force zoomed past them, almost knocking them over. It was Kim. 

“Am I late?!” He screamed as he ran from the curb, straight into the pool, weaving through the house like a mouse in a maze. 

Alix screamed as the boy bomb dived right next to where she was standing. After being able to doge every one of Ivan’s shots, Alix found herself soaking wet. And it didn’t help that the water was cold. 

Rose laughed and quickly took her outer clothes off to jump in after him, splashing Alix again. 

Juleka smiled as she carefully set herself up out of the splash zone. She wasn’t really wasn’t a ‘pool’ or ‘water’ person. But Rose had said that it would be fun to get out and do something. 

“Come on Juleka, let’s team up and take out Alix and Ivan. It will be fun.” Rose called out from the pool. 

“Why can’t Kim?” She called back. 

Rose sighed, but wasn’t discouraged for long, as Kim gladly grabbed a water pistol and started shooting Alix. 

———

Back at the hospital, Marinette had fallen asleep once again to Adrien’s made up stories. Checking his phone, he realised that there was a pool party going on at Alix’s house. Turning back to the sleeping girl, he thought it might be nice to finally hang out with the class. Ever since Natalie had told him that his father might not be coming back home, he really hadn’t taken full advantage of the situation. He had never been to one of Alix’s notorious pool parties. And with Marinette asleep and well, he thought why not? 

———

Mylène could hear Alix and Ivan having a water gun fight outside, and it seemed they had been joined by a few more party guests. Yet she continued to search the house for Alya and Nino. 

“I just don’t know Nino. I don’t know what’s going to happen.” Mylène heard faintly, so she followed the sound. “I mean, Ladybug said we could meet up, but what then? A part of me doesn’t want to give my Miraculous back, but another part of me thinks I should. I mean it’s just reminding me about what happened. And yeah I talked to Marinette, but that’s never going to fully resolve it unless I tell her, and even then too many people would know that I’m Rena Rouge and I would have to give my Miraculous back anyway. I’m sorry I acted the way I did, I’m just so stressed right now.”

“I’m sorry for over analysing everything. I guess I’m overwhelmed. I’m worried about tonight to. But it’s good that the team’s meeting up. It means we can all talk like this. And I’m sure Ladybug will know exactly what to do.” 

“You’re right. Ladybug always knows what to do. We just have to rebuild that trust.”

Mylène stopped in the hall way. What had she just heard?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> big oops. Alya and Nino REALLY need to stop talking about this stuff in public. It’s like they want to get caught.


End file.
